#swing and big band were actually more popular in the 30s and 40s

[cavalierclavier]

rules: shuffle your 'on repeat' playlist and post the first ten tracks, then tag ten people.

tagged by @toadminte (hi toad)

1. Peacemaker by The Mechanisms

2. Guardian by Æther Realm

3. Balrog Boogie by Diablo Swing Orchestra

4. Storm the Castle by Galactikraken

5. Alive from the Jekyll & Hyde musical (concept album)

6. Good People by Poor Man's Poison

7. King by The Amazing Devil

8. Remember Summer by Ben Below

9. Of Kali Ma Calibre by Diablo Swing Orchestra

10. Secret Worlds by The Amazing Devil

i've also been listening to IDKHOW's Razzmatazz and 1981 Extended Play pretty frequently (just on youtube, which is why spotify didn't shuffle any on my repeats) i'm also kinda surprised there's no Dirt Poor Robins here tbh

(speaking of, here are some secret youtube picks: Enchanté by Dirt Poor Robins, Voodoo Mon Amour by Diablo Swing Orchestra, Big Shot by Philip Labes, and Bleed Magic by IDKHOW)

as for folks to tag, uhhh... @gemboundprism @p1nball-c0la @humanradiohead @missattau @yoobzie and anyone else who wants a go!

[vidavalor]

Can we talk about how Bucky isn’t jealous of Sam, he’s jealous of *Steve*?

In another kind of romance (or even just friendship story, let’s be real), The Lover/Friend From Before would be highly likely to be jealous of The Current Lover/Friend. For sure, back in the ‘40s, Bucky was jealous of Peggy but by the time we get to the current era, while Bucky for sure still has complicated feelings for Steve, he’s not actually ever jealous of Sam. Whatever else he and Steve are, Bucky loves him unconditionally and just acts grateful to Sam that he was there to watch Steve’s back. That is *very* generous for a man who was undoubtedly in love with Steve for most of his life-- which, at that point, accounted for most of the time he was in control of his own mind. But it really kicks into gear in TFATWS. 

While Bucky’s projecting all over the shield, he’s telling himself it’s *just* representative of Steve and all the family that Bucky had left but it’s also really Bucky himself. Bucky had gone off the grid a bit and not answered Sam’s texts and then he saw Sam retire the shield and was so deep in his trauma that he personalized it-- it’s not just about Steve but about him. It’s about leaving the shield in the museum exhibit of Steve, a place where Bucky literally *is part of* the exhibit, and saying that’s the past and it hit Bucky at the worst possible time-- as he was trying to find a way to get over enough to make a life in the modern era. (I’m not criticizing Sam’s very valid reasons for not taking up the shield. I’m saying they were on their own journeys with it and not really communicating or being in a place to fully appreciate the other’s POVs and that largely is on Bucky, as he was the one whose PTSD was keeping him from answering Sam’s texts.) 

But Bucky goes on this journey where we learn that not only is he jealous of anything presently in Sam’s world that gets his attention-- Redwing, Torres-- but he’s also jealous of the gone Steve, maybe every bit as much as Sam is when it comes to Bucky. The Marvin Gaye scene is Bucky literally so petty over it, in a total snit of jealousy, and Sam failing to see what he means because it’s actually *Sam* who let Zemo get in his head. 

Bucky never actually says he didn’t like Marvin Gaye. He probably actually loved it, not even just “liked it”, like he said he did, but he knows that it was in Steve’s notebook and he when he hears that it was Sam who suggested it, it triggers nothing but pure jealousy in Bucky-- not of Sam having a private thing with Steve but of *Steve* getting to have close, intimate music-and-life discussions and the attention and affection of *Sam*, with whom Bucky has completely fallen in love. He wants Sam to see him as more than Steve’s friend (ironically, what Sam also wants Bucky to do-- to see Sam as more than just Steve’s friend) and is frustrated by the comparison. Bucky’s like oh, great, decades later and him not even here anymore and I’m *still* invisible to everyone compared to Steve... 

So, he says he liked Marvin Gaye but he’s doing it in a way to just kind of keep from screaming: “I’M NOT AWESOME LIKE STEVE, I KNOW!” at Sam. Bucky didn’t mean it as a condemnation of Sam himself, not realizing how much Sam identifies so personally with Marvin Gaye’s music and when Zemo stirs it up to amuse himself by amping up the political side of the conversation by making it seem like Bucky couldn’t understand Sam if he wasn’t an instantaneous Marvin Gaye devotee, Bucky was just like... I f*cking hate you both right now. 

“I like ‘40s music, so...” is both petty and a burn that neither Sam nor Zemo really see, further alienating Bucky a bit. On one level, he’s saying “okay, well, I guess you think I can’t understand you and you won’t understand me, either, as you just think I’m this dusty relic from another era-- the pathetic old guy in love with Steve. You’re never going to see beyond that so f*ck you.” On another level, it’s a nod to the fact that the music of the late ‘30s and early ‘40s that he’s referencing-- big band and swing-- is literally considered the forefather to everything that came after it in American music. The first blend of predominantly Black jazz and predominantly white orchestral music to form what would be considered an uniquely American sound that provided the foundation for an evolution into rock ‘n roll-- and r&b/soul music. The music of Marvin Gaye and its popularity exists as a result *of* the kind of music Bucky grew up, all of which was equally progressive and revolutionary for its time (and as popular) as Marvin Gaye was in his. The comment is a pushback against Sam’s characterization of him as old and clueless but is also just equal parts frustration with how Sam can’t seem to love him the way that he loved Steve. 

He’s like ugh, I’m going to have to jump out of more planes, aren’t I? 

It makes the sheer over-the-top-ness of his wooing in Delacroix even funnier. He’s like how many heavy things do I have to lift? How much of this boat do I need to fix? How many times can I stand in front of you and stretch in a tight t-shirt until you get it, Sam? 

Sam:

[octupus-on-the-moon]

What music does Bucky listen to?

I've seen a few posts about Bucky liking/listening to Elvis Presley and even The Beatles, but Elvis was 9 years old when Bucky fell off the train and The Beatles were founded in 1960, 16 years after Bucky fell into the hands of hydra.

What does Bucky actually listen to?

(Source: @dailybuckybarnes)

This is a good start, but what was popular in the 40s? As the example before shows, many have a wrong idea of what 40s music looks like.

Going back to my first question and answering the last one. Bucky most likely does listen to orquesta music, traditional pop, jazz and swing bands (big bands).

I know there are a few between us that actually listen to that kind of music, but i also know that there are many that don't and also don't have a concept of it. So i'm going a little deeper starting with the most known artists of that time.

Frank Sinatra.

(Source: somewhere out of google)

Yeah. I know. How is it possible? He actually started his entertainment career in 1935 and was one of the first teen idols known in the music industry. Obviously girls were more attracted by Sinatra in that time, but we know that Bucky was a gentleman and knew how to win a girls heart, so he must have been familiar with Sinatra's early discography. I can also imagine that after the whole winter soldier thing, Bucky must have come across late Frank Sinatra discography and actually listens to it, because he can relate the voice and music style to the time before Hydra.

Even though solo-singers were rare in that time Sinatra was not the only one.

Bing Crosby: Sinatra's inspiration to start his career in easy listening and traditional pop; The Father of what we know today as crooning.

I don't count Dean Martin because he had his actual break through in the 60s, but i believe that, since he has similarities to Frank Sinatra's music style, Bucky probably would like it or likes it or whatever.

And i could go on and on, but then probably no one will read it. Next !

Glenn Miller or Glenn Miller & his Orchestra

(Source: somewhere out of google)

One of the most popular composer (trombonist, orchestra leader etc.), specially known by his orchestra, between the 30s and 40s. As many Big Bands in that time they 'broke up' when the IIWW started. Glenn Miller himself volunteered for the army, became a soldier and disappeared in 1944. (What a beautiful parallel right there or a sad one) Anyway, swing music or big band music, became pretty popular in the 20s and 30s, because it was great music to dance. And who was a pretty enthusiastic dancer back then? Exactly...

(Source: @winter-james @jamesbucketbarnes )

Back to the music. Miller's orchestra was not the only one, there was: Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw (making the big three of the big bands), Count Basie, Woody Herman, Fletcher Henderson etc.

I could also go on here but then we wouldn't come to an end.

And since we've talked enough about white men...

Ella Fitzgerald

The Queen of Jazz. As i said before, solo-singing was not a common thing back then. Before her break through in 1942 as stand alone singer, she had her own orchestra (Ella and her famous orchestra) and was a known singer around Harlem. As well as big band music and swing, jazz music was really good music to dance to, which would get me to the point that Bucky must have heard her at least once or did't this is based on what I know from the MCU, my personal headcanon.

Anyways.

Other prolific jazz-musicians of that time would (obviously) be:

Louis Armstrong: He had a great influence in jazz-music and solo-singing; One of the most memorable voices in history of music and a great trumpeter too.

Nat King Cole: American Singer and jazz pianist, also a memorable voice and discography.

Now Sam said

that 'troubleman' would be great to catch up, which is actually a pretty good guess, because it has still some jazz/ big band flair without being too out of tune with more modern music.

I hope I could help a few of you with your curiosity and the other few of you who like to write well researched fanfics.

[pretendingthisdoesntexist]

Bucky Barnes' 40s playlist !!!

1. It's Been A Long, Long Time - Harry James 2. I Got Rhythm - George Gershwin 3. Chattanooga Choo Choo - RAF Squadronaires 4. Minnie the Moocher - Can Calloway 5. Puttin' On The Ritz - Judy Garland 6. Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong 7. When I Grow Too Old To Dream - Nat King Cole 8. I'll Never Smile Again - Frank Sinatra 9. Taking A Chance On Love - Benny Goodman 10. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) - Duke Ellington 11. Ko-Ko - Charlie Parker 12. The Lady Is A Tramp - Buddy Greco 13. Trouble Man - Marvin Gaye

I had a blast making this!! I did take liberties with '40s' theme, these songs all originally (except from Trouble Man) had their release from 1931-1945, although most of the versions I used aren't og because the sound quality on a lot of them is pretty difficult to get over and I actually want you to enjoy listening to the music.

I tried to find a balance between songs that you might know, popular 30s/40s artists, and some fun little ditties that you might never have heard before. I hope that for those of you who don't know anything about this era of music it gives you a good taste of what Bucky might have listened to - this is pretty big band heavy because it's what dominated the charts (and tbh is just more fun) but there were lots of other musical styles that were popular that I didn't include so if you enjoy this I'd be so up for making another one!

lmk what you think!!!

[flirting-with-psychology]

1. I own a ferret. 2. My best friend is my boyfriend 3. My best friend is a girl 4. I use the word super way too much 5. I am a boy 6. I like My Chemical Romance 7. I own more than 100 CDs 8. I like discussing politics 9. I collect state quarters 10. The Legend of Zelda is my favorite video game. 11. I have Cingular 12. I love MAC makeup 13. I smoke too much 14. I own more than 5 bandanas 15. My favorite movie is Kill Bill 16. I watched Lamb Chop when I was young 17. I have my ears gauged 18. I can do HTML without guidance 19. I watch Spongebob Squarepants regularly. 20. I go to the movies at least once a week 21. I play guitar or bass 22. I love Elvis 23. I’ve had a mo/bi/trihawk before 24. I have met my favorite band 25. I like to hardcore dance 26. Something’s outside my window 27. I believe in ghosts 28. I do drugs regularly 29. I am straightedge 30. My favorite feature about myself is my lips 31. I have never consumed alcohol 32. I want a tattoo. 33. My favorite actor is Will Ferrell. 34. I have seen Conan O'Brien live. 35. I hate MTV 36. I used to watch Cheaters every week 37. I have my own vaccuum 38. Frank Sinatra is awesome 39. I sleep with a stuffed animal 40. I am scared of werewolves 41. I watch hockey regularly 42. I am originally from New York 43. I own an iPod 44. Some people aren’t funny. 45. I hate school. 46. My favorite vegetable is lettuce. 47. Tickle fights are fun. 48. I am currently unemployed. 49. I have my license 50. I hate spelling mistakes 51. I love Spanish class 52. I live in a big city 53. I have been to the Grand Canyon 54. I listen to music to fall asleep 55. I watch TV to fall asleep 56. I only get a few hours of sleep each night 57. I’m relatively innocent. 58. I am a size 3 or smaller 59. I’m bored. 60. Purple is my favorite color. 61. I hate flossing 62. I have a car. 63. I believe in God 64. I’m in love. 65. I used to love Unwritten Law. 66. Reno 911 is my favorite show. 67. There is a mini stapler on my computer desk. 68. Cuddling’s my favorite. 69. For sure. 70. I have a flip phone 71. I love my handwriting 72. I own a Louis Vuitton handbag 73. I want to be an astronaut. 74. I love the song Dragostea Din Tei 75. 50 Cent is not talented 76. I like scanners better than digital cameras. 77. I own at least one Punk-O-Rama CD 78. My room is sound proof. 79. I’m 5'5 or less 80. Lying pisses me off 81. I backstab people. 82. I have been in a fist fight. 83. I have PaintShop Pro. 84. It’s almost midnight 85. My nightlight is cracked 86. I only listen to Dashboard Confessional when I’m sad 87. And I feel like a pansy when I do so 88. I hate metal 89. I’m in a band. 90. Napoleon Dynamite is annoying now. 91. I love hickeys 92. I want to lose weight 93. My favorite channel is the Food Network. 94. I don’t have a CD burner. 95. Pixar is stupid except for the Incredibles 96. I own an apartment/house 97. I am engaged. 98. My computer’s a Gateway. 99. I hate driving. 100. I like watching boys sleep. =========================== 01. I miss someone right now 02. I don’t watch much TV these days 03. I love olives 04. I love sleeping 05. I own lots of books 06. I wear glasses or contact lenses 07. I love to play video games 08. I’ve tried marijuana 09. I’ve watched porn movies 10. I have been in a threesome 11. I have been the psycho-ex in a past relationship 12. I believe honesty is usually the best policy 13. I have acne free skin usually 14. I like and respect Al Sharpton 15. I curse frequently 16. I have changed a lot mentally over the last year 17. I have a hobby 18. I’ve been told I can suck the chromes off a trailer hitch. 19. I carry my knife/razor everywhere with me 20. I’m smart 21. I’ve never broken someone’s bones 22. I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal 23. I hate the rain 24. I’m paranoid at times 25. I would get plastic surgery if it were 100% safe, free of cost, and scars. 26. I need money right now! 27. I love Sushi 28. I talk really, really fast sometimes 29. I have fresh breath in the morning 30. I have semi-long hair 31. I have lost money in Las Vegas 32. I have at least one brother and/or one sister 33. I was born in a country outside of the U.S. 34. I shave my legs 35. I have a twin 36. I have worn fake hair/fingernails/eyelashes in the past 37. I couldn’t survive without Caller I.D. 38. I like the way that I look sometimes 39. I have lied to a good friend in the last 6 months 40. I know how to do cornrows 41. I am usually pessimistic 42. I have a lot of mood swings 43. I think prostitution should be legalized 44. I think Britney Spears is hot 45. I have cheated on a significant other in the past 46. I have a hidden talent 47. I’m always hyper no matter how much sugar I have. 48. I think that I’m popular 49. I am currently single 50. I have kissed someone of the same sex 51. I enjoy talking on the phone 52. I practically live in sweatpants or PJ pants 53. I love to shop. 54. I would rather shop than eat 55. I would classify myself as ghetto. 56. I’m bourgie and have worn a sweater tied around my shoulders 57. I’m obsessed with my Livejournal 58. I don’t hate anyone. 59. I’m a pretty good dancer 60. I don’t think Mike Tyson raped Desiree Washington 61. I’m completely embarrassed to be seen with my mother 62. I have a cell phone 63. I believe in God/ a higher being. 64. I watch MTV/Vh1 on a daily basis 65. I have passed out drunk in the past 6 months 66. I love drama. 67. I have never been in a real romantic relationship before 68. I’ve rejected someone before 69. I currently have a crush on someone 70. I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life 71. I want to have children in the future 72. I have changed a diaper before 73. I’ve called the cops on a friend before 74. I bite my nails 75. I am a member of the Tom Green fan club 76. I’m not allergic to anything 77. I have a lot to learn 78. I have dated someone at least 10 years older or younger 79. I plan on seeing Ice Cube’s newest “Friday” movie 80. I am sometimes shy around the opposite sex 81. I’m online 24/7, even as an away message 82. I have at least 5 away messages saved 83. I have tried alcohol or drugs before 84. I have made a move on a friend’s significant other in the past 85. I own the “South Park” movie 86. I have avoided assignments at work/school to be on Xanga or Livejournal 87. When I was a kid I played “the birds and the bees” with a neighbor or chum 88. I enjoy some country music 90. I think that Pizza Hut has the best pizza 91. I watch soap operas whenever I can 92. I’m obsessive, anal retentive, and often a perfectionist 93. I have used my sexuality to advance my career 94. I love Michael Jackson, scandals and all 95. I know all the words to Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story” 96. Halloween is awesome because you get free candy 97. I watch Spongebob Squarepants and I like it 98. I have dated a close friend’s ex 99. I’m happy as of this moment 100. I was born in the 80s but I am truly a child of the 90s  101. I have slapped john dasaro and chris burke in the face..on the same night 102. I haven’t showered in two days… and I like it. 103. i own every f***er here 104. I procrastinate all the time 105. I’m a nerd 106. I LOVE the movie The Wedding Singer. 107. i hate corn. 108. i’ve attended the rocky horror picture show 109. i’ve never seen Bambi the movie 110. Thinking about the future terrifies me 111. Without music there would be no point in living. 112. If I could change one thing about myself I would 113. If someone of the same sex liked me, I would date them. 114. I went to the mall today for 5 hours ================================ Would do Have Done

001. Bought everyone in the pub a drink 002. Swam with wild dolphins 003. Climbed a mountain *004. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 005. Been inside the Great Pyramid 006. Held a tarantula. *007. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 008. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it. 009. Hugged a tree *010. Done a striptease 011. Bungee jumped *012. Visited Paris 013. Watched a lightning storm at sea *014. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise several times *015. Seen the Northern Lights 016. Gone to a huge sports game 017. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa *018. Grown and eaten your own vegetables *019. Touched an iceberg *020. Slept under the stars 021. Changed a baby’s diaper 022. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon *023. Watched a meteor shower *024. Gotten drunk on champagne *025. Given more than you can afford to charity 026. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope 027. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 028. Had a food fight 029. Bet on a winning horse 030. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 031. Asked out a stranger 032. Had a snowball fight 033. Photocopied your bottom on the office photocopier 034. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can 035. Held a lamb 036. Organized and planned a surprise party for a loved one *037. Taken a midnight skinny dip 038. Taken an ice cold bath 039. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 040. Seen a total eclipse 041. Ridden a roller coaster 042. Hit a home run 043. Fit three weeks miraculously into three days 044. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking *045. Adopted an accent for an entire day 046. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 047. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment *048. Had two hard drives for your computer *049. Visited all 50 states 050. Loved your job for all accounts *051. Taken care of someone who was really sick *052. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 053. Had amazing friends 054. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country *055. Watched wild whales 056. Stolen a sign 057. Backpacked in Europe *058. Taken a road-trip 059. Rock climbing 060. Lied to foreign government’s official in that country to avoid notice *061. Midnight walk on the beach 062. Sky diving *063. Visited Ireland 064. Been heartbroken longer then you were actually in love 065. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them *066. Visited Japan 067. Bench pressed your own weight 068. Milked a cow 069. Alphabetized your records 070. Pretended to be a superhero 071. Sung karaoke 072. Lounged around in bed all day 073. Protested something you feel strongly against 074. Scuba diving *075. Got it on to “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye 076. Kissed in the rain 077. Played in the mud 078. Played in the rain *079. Gone to a drive-in theater 080. Done something you should regret, but don’t regret *081. Visited the Great Wall of China 082. Discovered that someone who’s not supposed to have known about your blog has discovered your blog 083. Dropped Windows in favor of something better 084. Started a business 085. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken 086. Toured ancient sites 087. Taken a martial arts class 088. Swordfought for the honor of a woman 089. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight *090. Gotten married 091. Been in a movie 092. Crashed a party 093. Loved someone you shouldn’t have *094. Kissed someone so passionately it made them dizzy 095. Gotten divorced 096. Started an office war 097. Gone without food for 5 days 098. Made cookies from scratch 099. Won first prize in a costume contest 100. Ridden a gondola in Venice 101. Gotten a tattoo 102. Found that the texture of some materials can turn you on 103. Rafted the Snake River 104. Been on television news programs as an “expert" 105. Got flowers for no reason 106. Made out in a public place 107. Got so drunk you don’t remember anything 108. Been addicted to some form of illegal drug 109. Performed on stage 110. Been to Las Vegas 111. Recorded music 112. Eaten shark *113. Drank an entire 6 pack by yourself *114. Gone to Thailand 115. Seen Siouxsie *116. Bought a house 117. Been in a combat zone 118. Buried one/both of your parents 119. Shaved all of your hair off *120. Been on a cruise ship 121. Spoken more than one language fluently 122. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone 123. Bounced a check 124. Performed in theatre 125. Read - and understood - your credit report *126. Raised children 127. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy *128. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour *129. Created and named your own constellation of stars 130. Taken a bicycle tour in a foreign country 131. Found out something significant that your ancestors did 132. Called or written your Congress person 133. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over 135. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge 136. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking 137. Had an abortion 138. Had plastic surgery 139. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived 140. Wrote articles for a large publication 141. Lost over 100 pounds 142. Held someone while they were having a flashback 143. Piloted an airplane 144. Petted a stingray 145. Broken someone’s heart 146. Helped an animal give birth 147. Been fired or laid off from a job 148. Won money on a TV game show 149. Broken a bone 150. Killed a human being *151. Gone on an African photo safari 152. Ridden a motorcycle 153. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100mph 154. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced 155. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol 156. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild 157. Ridden a horse 158. Had major surgery 159. Ridden on a passenger train 160. Had a snake as a pet 161. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 162. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing 163. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours 164. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states *165. Visited all 7 continents 166. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days 167. Eaten kangaroo meat 168. Fallen in love at an ancient Mayan burial ground 169. Been a sperm or egg donor 170. Eaten sushi 171. Had your picture in the newspaper 172. Had 2 (or more) healthy romantic relationships for over a year in your lifetime *173. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about 174. Gotten someone fired for their actions 175. Gone back to school 176. Parasailed 177. Changed your name 178. Petted a cockroach 179. Eaten fried green tomatoes 180. Read The Iliad 181. Selected one "important” author who you missed in school, and read 182. Dined in a restaurant and stolen silverware, plates, cups because your apartment needed them 183. …and gotten 86'ed from the restaurant because you did it so many times, they figured out it was you 184. Taught yourself an art from scratch 185. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 186. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt *187. Skipped all your school reunions 188. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 189. Been elected to public office 190. Written your own computer language 191. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream 192. Had to put someone you love into hospice care 193. Built your own PC from parts 194. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you 195. Had a booth at a street fair 196: Dyed your hair blue 197: Been a DJ 198: Found out someone was going to dump you via LiveJournal 199: Written your own role playing game 200: Been arrested ====================== 1. I have self-mutilated before. 2. I still love the song Dragostea Din Tei 3. I used to like New Kids on the Block 4. The 80s was funny. 5. I have realtones enabled on my cellular phone. 6. Public bathrooms scare me 7. I have keys on my belt 8. I’m not wearing a belt 9. I hate writing 10. I hate reading 1. I love compilation CDs 12. My favorite teachers have all been guys 13. I think Bad Religion’s only been around for ten or so years 14. I don’t know who Bad Religion is. 15. I don’t wear my hood unless it’s raining 16. I enjoy smaller clubs rather than big ones 17. I’ve put a song on repeat for more than 8 hours 18. I have sound on my computer  19. Someone wants my hiney. 20. My mom loves Elvis 21. I have my own computer 22. I live on the east coast 23. My favorite animal is a kangaroo 24. I’m on vacation 25. I don’t own a pair of ripped jeans 26. I am very insecure somewhat 27. I love to dance 28. I curse way too much. 29. I choose the pansy way and star out my curse words (f*ck) 30. I feel dumb because I was just called a pansy 31. I have a flatscreen computer 32. I collect something. 33. I’m married 34. I won’t date someone who’s smaller than me smaller, as in also shorter? 35. Brass knuckles are the shit. 36. I own a hand puppet 37. I write with blue pens 38. I wear eye makeup almost every day 39. I wish I lived somewhere other than here 40. I don’t own a band shirt. Not yet anyway.. 41. I love techno. 42. I have my nipples pierced 43. I’m shitty at wrapping presents 44. I know someone in the KKK 45. I’m racist/anti-semitist. 46. I don’t know what those mean. 47. I love life most of the time 48. I have posters all over my room 49. I’ve never been a camera whore with someone.. And I want to. 50. I’m halfway done 51. I wish I lived in the 80s 52. I know what the term borgie means 53. I’m interested in social hierarchy. 54. I love music videos. 55. I have a DVD player 56. I’m drunk right now 57. I’m listening to music 58. I have a big screen TV 59. I have an STD 60. I know the singer of the Clash’s name 61. The only IM program I have is AIM 62. I skateboard regularly 63. I live on the north side of town 64. I have been to Alaska 65. I’ve worn a cowboy hat 66. I watch late night infomercials for retarded, unnecessary things 67. I LOVE DOING THE DEATH GROWL TO MY FAVORITE METAL SONGS. 68. That last question was dumb. 69. I know what the word “peligroso” means in English 70. I speak another language fluently 71. I’ve been in a limo 72. I own a bong 73. My lungs hurt 74. I know someone who’s committed suicide 75. I’ve got a six pack and I don’t need you! 76. I know what band sung the above line 77. I like strong boys. 78. I’m sick right now 79. I know someone who’s currently enlisted in the army 80. I do not own a color phone 81. My birthday is in September 82. I hate mall cops 83. I hate most cops in general 84. I’m wearing blush 85. I live in an apartment 86. I’m still in high school. 87. I own something from Victoria’s Secret 88. I don’t know a boy that wears girls pants 89. I’ve had the same best friend since I was 8. 90. Brownies are my favorite 91. So is cake 92. I’ve heard the song “Looks Good in Leather” 93. I own some sort of propaganda, fake or real 94. I deny the Holocaust happened 95. Kisses are my favorite sign of affection 96. I need to charge my phone 97. My purse could pass for a suitcase 98. I take birth control 99. I only buy what’s fashionable

1. I love bolding 2. I know someone named Mimi 3. I hate my old best friend 4. My favorite alcoholic drink is Jack n Coke 5. I have a digital camera 6. I’m talking to at least one person online 7. I like watching college basketball 8. I have never moved. 9. I have at least one cat 10. I have at least one dog 11. I’m going to see a movie tonight maybe 12. I make my own AIM icons 13. I’m in pain 14. I watch more than five shows a day 15. I love the Cure 16. My parents like some of the same music I do 17. I have never been to the dentist 18. I listen to the radio 19. I do my own laundry 20. I’ve made at least one article of clothing 21. I have/want something on my face pierced 22. I go to at least one concert a week 23. I’ve written a story 24. I’ve dyed my hair every color of the rainbow 25. I own a Grand Theft Auto game 26. My favorite pattern is camoflauge 27. I know someone who does/did cocaine 28. I have too many game systems 29. I love scary movies 30. I hate scary movies 31. I’ve had sex more than 5 times 32. My favorite chips are Lays Original 33. I think butter is unhealthy 34. I hate the Osbournes 35. I used to have dreadlocks 36. I need to take medicine for something 37. I suffer from insomnia 38. I speak ebonics 39. I’ve gambled 40. And won 41. I have at least one gay friend 42. I like going to pet stores 43. I own a dog toy 44. And I don’t have a dog 45. I own more than ten candles 46. I’ve smoked a cigarette in the shower before 47. I’ve flunked a class 48. I listen to music every day 49. I have more than one nickname 50. I wear pajamas when I feel like it 51. I’m wearing more than one jewelry item 52. I haven’t washed my hair in a week 53. I watch the Grammy’s every year 54. Along with the Macy’s Parade 55. My favorite season is winter 56. I have seen the All American Rejects live 57. And I’ve enjoyed it. 58. Boobs are nothing special 59. I go swimming at least once a week in summer. 60. I have a pool. 61. I’ve gone skinnydipping 62. I’ve played strip poker 63. And lost 64. I want a nautical star tattoo 65. My cell phone turns off when it’s charging 66. And it pisses me off 67. I used to buy my entire wardrobe from Hot Topic 68. I’ve been to albinoblacksheep.com 69. My favorite subject is History 70. And/or math 71. I am a republican 72. I am a democrat 73. I listen to the Used occasionally 74. I have been to the Warped Tour 75. I am part Mexican 76. I am part German 77. All of my grandparents are still alive. 79. I love bowling 80. I know that there is a South Park, Colorado 81. I love Dairy Queen 82. Sometimes I think I’m crazy 83. I own a Moffatts CD 84. I own a Backstreet Boys CD 85. I want plastic surgery 86. Operation, operation, snip and tie, snip and tie 87. I know what song that line is from 88. I have killed something [bugs!] 89. I’ve never had a Nokia cell phone 90. I’m never sarcastic 91. Light eyes turn me on 92. I have never been to a foreign country 93. I don’t eat enough 94. I own illegal weaponry 95. I know someone who has overdosed on something 96. And lived to tell about it 97. I don’t own a pair of mittens 98. I love the heat 99. I’ve never had a steady boyfriend/gf 100. I want to makeout.

[gemfyre]

I stole this from @louder-than-love

Put your music player on shuffle and answer the questions about each artist. You can skip any repeats if you’d like, but you don’t have to, all the questions are original!

1

What is this artist? Glenn Miller (That Old Black Magic) What genre of music do they play? Big Band/Swing How old are they? Glenn Miller was big during the 30s and early 40s - he went missing/died close to Christmas 1944. Have you ever heard them on the radio? I often listen to “1940s UK Radio” on the internet so yeah, I hear it there. ;) Have they released any new music within the last year or two? Haha no. Do they have a male or female vocalist? It varies from song to song, a lot don’t have vocals at all.

2

What is this artist? Marilyn Manson (The Nobodies (acoustic)) Would you recommend them to someone else? If they were into this kind of music sure. Do they write their own music/lyrics? Yep What are their album artworks like? Kinda fucked up. If they stopped making music, would you be sad? No, Manson hasn’t released anything really good since the mid 2000s. Do you know what they look like without searching? Yep, various eras even.

3

What is this artist? Jars of Clay (Hymn) Are they popular and well-known? not massively Have you ever seen them perform live? nope How did you find out about this artist? My ex-b/f was into them and I had a listen and liked it too. What is their sexuality, if known? No idea Is their music easy to dance to? Some a bit, it varies a lot.  I mean, the song playing is a waltz beat, but too fast for a classic waltz and too slow for a Viennese waltz.

4

What is this artist? Nine Inch Nails (God Given) Do they play instruments? Yep, some conventional, some unconventional Would your mother/father listen to them? Heck no Are they still making music today? YES THANK GOD Would you want to meet this artist? YES, desperately, I want to shake all their hands and thank them and then punch Trent, lick Robin, pet Ilan’s hair and go get ice cream with Ally. How many songs by this artist do you have? Almost all of them

5

What is this artist? Duke Ellington (Jam A Ditty) When did you discover this artist? In 2014 when I was getting into swing dance and swing music. How many albums do they have? No idea, but I know it’s a lot Do you think they are attractive? Not really my type Have they gone through any line-up changes? Well it was a big-band/orchestra that was active for 50 years or so, so yes, I assume there were many shuffles Is their music more fun or serious? Fun, upbeat instrumental stuff mostly.

6

What is this artist? Van Halen (Why Can’t This Be Love? (live)) Do they play your favourite genre of music? Nope, but I do enjoy this genre anyway What gender are they? Male Are they someone you’d want to be friends with in real life? Eh, whatever Did somebody recommend this band to you? I kinda started listening to a lot when my sister’s ex b/f lent me a copy of 1984 and 5150. Would you play their music at a party? Heck yeah!

7

What is this artist? Rage Against The Machine (Kick Out The Jams) How many people are in this band/group? I’m not sure honestly, they’re probably a 4/5 piece? When did they start making music? The 80s or 90s, they got big in the early 90s. Do they have any songs that are well-known? Yeah a few Do you listen to this artist regularly? Not really, there are a few RATM songs that among my favourite songs EVER, but I listened to a whole album once and it got very samey very quickly How would you describe their music? Politically driven rock/rap

8

What is this artist? Lady Gaga (Gypsy) If they use a stage name, what is their real name(s)? *consults Wikipedia*  Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta Do they regularly make popular charts? Yep Have you ever met this artist? nope If they toured in your city, would you go see them? Probably not, I don’t like her stuff that much, and apparently tickets cost a bomb.

9

What is this artist? Postmodern Jukebox (Cry Me A River) Are they known for anything else? Groovy videos to their songs? What is their nationality? There are people from all over performing with Scott Bradlee Would you be embarrassed to admit you like this artist? Nope Are they older or younger than you? Probably a bit of both. Has this artist ever toured in your country/state/city? Yes indeed, they tour about once a year, and in 2015 I actually saw them.

10

What is this artist? KMFDM (These Boots Are Made For Walking) Do you know much about their personal life? Not really Have they ever gone on hiatus and did they return? I don’t know What instruments do they use? Guitars, drums, synths, construction materials, probably other things What city are they from? They are from all over the place, Germany, Canada, Sweden, England... Do you think this artist has a lot of fans? They have their followers.

So yeah, anyone can do this, but I’ll tag - @betterinthe90s @reznor-gasm @minoff-things @skold @evathrowsstones @wavesof-burningsea @callmejude @finck-you-freeky

[stevecanmakeanythingnerdy]

Battle #30

Dave Clark Five: 5 by 5 ( Side 1 )

Vs.

Tex Ritter: Comin’ After Jinny ( Side 1 )

Dave Clark Five: 5 by 5 ( Side 1 )

The Dave Clark Five were an English rock and roll band formed in Tottenham in 1957. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten single, "Glad All Over", which knocked the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK Singles Chart. In fact, often the DC5 as they became known, were compared to The Beatles. They were the second group of the British Invasion to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States (for two weeks in March 1964 following the Beatles' three weeks the previous month). They eventually appeared 18 times on his show. *ahem* more than any other British Invasion group. Back in those days, that was Thee show to be on if you wanted to make a splash. Dave Clark, who formed the group, was very clever. He struck business deals that allowed him to not only produce the band's recordings but also gave him control of the master recordings. At the time not really a big deal, but pioneering in later years as the music industry grew into a corporate monster. To this day he still retains the rights. Genius. Another aspect that makes the DC5 unique is that they did not follow the psychedelic music trend that was so popular amongst peers at the time. The Dave Clark Five officially disbanded in 1970,while still successfully charting in the UK. This album is the U. S. Release version from 1967. That’s another thing, in those days bands would relentlessly record and tour. Often putting out multiple albums in one single year. The DC5 put out 11 (yes eleven) studio albums from 1964-1967. That’s almost an average of 3 per year?!? Talk about a hit machine! This is why I make a strong argument that DC5 were perhaps not better charting than The Beatles, but certainly more efficient. The first track is “Nineteen Days”. It may be one of their later slabs of wax, but it’s just as soulful. High pitched bitchin’ beats get the countdown on for moving those butts. Mid tempo 60s and I think under 2 minutes! “Something I’ve always wanted” follows and has a definite blues feel. It’s another quick one too and this time with harmonica. In fact, harmonica takes full on lead on the next track, “Little Bit Strong”. Some great, nasty distortion groove too. Dave and his Clark five don’t mess around. They blast right on through. Hell, if they recorded 11 albums in 4 years then they probably know how to rip through a song with little fanfare. “Bernedette” is next and of course there’s a song about a girl. It’s a requirement for a crooner to appear. Very minimal instrumentation, just lovey dovey emos. “Sitting here Baby” is the last tune and a ditty and done in the gold old rock ‘n’ roll style. Great bass solo too. Some vocal scat even. Swing beat makes it sweet. I do feel this album suffers a little as compared to earlier recordings simply because of the barrage. Did I mention 11 (!) albums in 4 years??!?!!?! Oh yeah, and the total run time from start to finish is 11 minutes. It probably took more time to set up one of the mics than it did to record this whole album!

Tex Ritter: Comin’ After Jinny ( Side 1 )

Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter was an American country music singer and actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John and grandsons Jason and Tyler). He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. In fact, he became one of the founding members of the Country Music Association in Nashville, Tennessee and spearheaded the effort to build the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Eventually he was Inducted in 1964. An early pioneer of country music, Ritter soon became interested in show business. He started out doing radio and eventually broadway plays. Also recording songs about cowboy life for Decca Records. He moved on to movies in the 30s and his recording career took off as well. His career continued through the 40s, 50s and 60s and In 1970, Ritter surprised many people by entering Tennessee's Republican primary election for United States Senate! Despite high name recognition, he lost overwhelmingly to United States Representative Bill Brock, who then defeated the incumbent Senator Albert Gore, Sr. in the general election. He passed shortly thereafter in 1974. This release is posthumous dated to 1976. The first song, “Comin’ After Jinny” is very Johnny Cash like. Definitely some slide guitar and pretty lackadaisical as far as country tempo goes. The whole song centers around the storyline of a younger boy coming after his girl. Through colorful description you eventually catch on that his girl is his actual baby child (perhaps granddaughter) and the boy is a younger baby. Ok, it’s clever. You got me, good one, Tex! The next song is titled “Looking Back” and it’s a remorseful tune about nostalgia and love gone wrong. Real cowboy campfire story stuff. “He Who Is Without Sin, Let Him Judge Me” is third in line. This one has a storyline about a guy who steals food for his starving family and is sentenced to prison. The character then goes person by person in the jury and calls them out for their sins. Are you getting it yet? Tex likes to tell tales. “Wand’rin Star” has gang vocals and is a slow cow-poke tune. Even the quiver in his voice makes it more real. This genre is really not my cup of tea, but I will say, Tex is pretty good at what he does. “The Girl Who Carries a Torch for Me” is the last cut. I’ll give you a minute to think about what possible puns might apply...a clue...think patriotic...got it? If you guessed that it’s a tune about the Statue of Liberty, then congratulations! You win! It’s clever stuff, but there was too much talking for me. Convo-core? Spoken word Country? Meh... it’s like your trucker grandpa made a record or something. Worth a listen, but I probably won’t do it again.

Today we witnessed the Dave Clark go 5 x 5. They burned 82 calories over 5 songs and 11 minutes. That’s an average of 16.40 calories burned per song and 7.46 calories burned per minute. DC5 earns 11 (there’s that number again) out of 15 possible stars. Tex Ritter spent his time comin’ after Jinny and burned 95 calories over 14 minutes and 5 songs. Tex burned 19 calories per song and 6.79 calories per minute. He managed to earn 8 out of 15 possible stars. Looks like the DC went 5 x 5 and 1 x WON!

Dave Clark Five: “Nineteen Days”

#Randomrecordworkoutseasonsix

#Randomrecordworkout

[fandomsandfeminism]

I called our rebel for specifically trying to justify the deliberate disenfranchisment of people based on stereotypes about cities. 🤷‍♀️

Ok, so, you've admitted that the popular vote wouldn't mean "New York and California" pick the president. Great.

Now, let me point out a few facts.

46 states have an urban majority. Only 4 states have a rural majority. If you truly believe that urban vs rural is a meaningful political distinction- you need to recognize that the winner take all system of the EC means than urban voters would win their states 46/50 times. Right? So the EC isn't protecting rural votes.

But also, blue STATES don't have the most population. California (1st) and New York (4th) vote blue, but Texas (2nd) is a traditionally red state, and Florida (3rd) and Pennsylvania (5th) are swing states.

The winner take all system creates this really skewed perspective of how people vote though. You can see it in the map you posted- all states have red AND blue dots. Look at these maps:

The fact is that not a single state was won by more than a 70/30 split in 2020. Most come in below 60/40. People just *dont* vote based on their states average population density. There were more Trump voters in CA than in TX and more Biden voters in TX than in NY. We don't live in politically homogenous hiveminds. Even talking about "red states" and "blue states" is an illusion created by the electoral college.

You're trying to argue that the EC protects the political voice of "minorities" (but the only minority you actually mean is rural voters) but that just isn't true. The EC doesn't push candidates to campaign in more rural states. It pushes them to campaign in SWING states.

The top eight battleground states in 2012 accounted for 96% of the 253 campaign events. They had a combined population of 56,334,828 out of the total U.S. population of 309,785,186 (according to the 2010 census). That is, these eight states had 18.1% of the nation’s population.

Those arent primarily rural states. They also arent the most populated states. They are swing states. Because, as I said, there's no benefit to increasing a 3% lead to a 10% lead, candidates just focus on scraping up 1% leads in swing states.

So let me be clear- ALL votes should count equally, and in a popular vote system, a rural vote in California will count just as much as an Urban vote in Texas, as much as a suburban vote in Wyoming.

You would need 100% of the top 9 most populated states to vote lock step to hit 51% of the population, and good luck getting that deep red stripe of West Texas to agree with Austin and Houston, much less LA. We just don't vote in political monoliths.

The cities wouldn't be enough. They just wouldn't be. Yes, LA and New York and Houston and San Antonio are big, but they aren't "half the country" big. Do you know how many cities you would need, voting in 100% unison (which they don't do) to hit 51% of the population? There's only like 10 cities with more than a million people in them in the US. We're talking like... over 100 cities at 100% voter turn out and 100% voting for the same person to hit 51% of the votes cast in 2020. That's just absurd.

[Edit, correction] crunched the numbers. If you add up every US city with over 100,000 people (331 of them), that still doesn't get you to 51% 🤷‍♀️

And maybe, most importantly- the EC only effects the presidency. It has nothing to do with the senate, or house, or govenors, or state legislature, or county commissioner, or mayor, or city council- where local elections for local representation still happen.

Again- the EC doesn't protect minorities. It doesn't protect rural voters. (It was never meant to) it concentrates political campaigning to a narrow band of swing states to the detriment of our entire political culture. It doesn't have any of the benefits you claim it does, and contributes to toxic, vile political tribalism and scapegoating.

[aion-rsa]

Army of the Dead: The Problem with Zack Snyder Song Choices

https://ift.tt/3hQSbwk

This article contains Army of the Dead spoilers. Read our spoiler-free review here.

No one has ever accused Zack Snyder of being subtle. As the director who once had Henry Cavill’s Superman and the image of Jesus Christ in red and blue stained glass share the same frame, Snyder’s a filmmaker who likes his subtexts to be written across the screen whenever possible, preferably in neon. It’s an impulse that can lead to sometimes stunning visuals, such as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Doctor Manhattan filming the moon landing in Watchmen, and it sometimes can be as heavy-handed as Bruce Wayne turning into a literal bat in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

In other words, Snyder is not one for a light touch when it comes to crafting his visuals… or the music which often accompanies them. And fans who checked out Army of the Dead this past weekend on Netflix were reminded of that latter fact when the director’s penchant for on-the-nose needle drops reached its head-scratching zenith: Snyder ends his zombie movie with the Cranberries’ “Zombie” playing in the background.

As a song written 1994 by Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of the Cranberries, it seems like an awkward choice for this action-horror hybrid on multiple levels. Considered one of the best alternative rock anthems of the ‘90s, “Zombie” remains among the top tier protest songs of the last 30 years. It was written by an Irish rocker in defiance of then-recent violence implemented by the IRA in the UK, which left two English children dead. Yet here it is in Army of the Dead, playing in a finale where Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) crawls through the ruins of Las Vegas and the remains of its zombie hordes, with tens of millions of dollars on his back.

For audiences who know the history of the song, it’s jarring; and for those who don’t it is still abrasively trite to have the denouement of their zombie movie conclude to the wails of “Zombie, zombie, zombie!”

But for aficionados of Snyder’s filmography, it’s perfectly in keeping with the filmmaker’s attention-grabbing (and often gaudy) musical choices. Sometimes they can work in favor of his movies and sometimes against—and occasionally in the same scene. No matter what, however, they always make you sit up and take notice.

Admittedly, the use of non-diegetic music in films—needle drops where the music comes over a scene and has no source, such as a radio or live band, on the screen—is subjective. There’s no one set of rules about how to best employ popular music in a movie. With that said, at their best needle drops can either complement or comment on the scene at hand. They can add to the emotion of a movie moment, such as the wistful piano exit of “Layla” playing as the gangsters all get whacked in Goodfellas, or they can challenge the images we see and the story we’re being told, like when Beethoven is used to chilling effect as Malcolm MacDowell’s allegedly refined Alex attacks his friends in A Clockwork Orange.

But at its heart, the good use of a song surprises the audience, often by getting into the emotion or headspace of a character on screen, or illuminating it with some level of abstract distance. Of course the more popular the song is, the more you run the risk of the music carrying baggage for the audience. In period pieces, this can actually be an asset, with each song choice able to evoke a sense of time and place for the audience, particularly if it’s in the audience’s living memory—for example, just about every late 1960s music sample in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—but it also means filmmakers traditionally want to steer further afield from the most popular Top 40 songs, unless it legitimately comments on a character’s perspective, such as the Crystals’ wildly romantic “Then He Kissed Me” also in Goodfellas.

Snyder doesn’t appear to worry about any of these issues with the song choices in his films. Rather he seems to embrace the cinematic and pop culture baggage of many of his needle drops, wearing them like so much ostentatious jewelry while strutting down the strip. Once in a while they can have the intended effect, such as when he evokes the image of the Vietnam War in the popular imagination by using Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” in Watchmen, reminding audiences of the iconic union of that music with this conflict in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now while also commenting on how Vietnam is a different animal in the alternate history of Watchmen.

In most instances though, it just seems bizarrely under-thought, such as the inexplicable use of “The Sounds of Silence” also in Watchmen. The song is a Simon and Garfunkel standard which was famously written for The Graduate. So, genuinely, what is the point of that song being in Watchmen other than it sounds sad and was written in the ‘60s, and we’re now at the funeral of someone whose heyday was around that time? None of the characters onscreen actually liked the man they’re burying, and the piece just conjures up in the mind a much better movie which used that song with far more haunting nuance.

This drastic give-and-take in quality remains visible in Snyder’s Army of the Dead. Before the groan-inducing use of “Zombie,” Snyder rummages through Hollywood history again when he puts a cover of The Doors’ “The End” over the sequence where his team of casino robbers/zombie killers first enter the ruins of Las Vegas. The version in Army of the Dead is technically sung by The Raveonettes, instead of with Jim Morrison’s nihilistic groove, but it still inescapably conjures up images of Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. Well before Huey helicopters doubled as Valkyries in that movie, Coppola opened the film like an LSD-laced fever dream, with a Vietnam era rock song about the sweet relief found in death.

In Apocalypse Now, the song immediately puts the viewer into the viewpoint of Martin Sheen’s Willard, a war ravaged soldier (or “errand boy”) who even during his time off in a Saigon hotel room cannot stop thinking about the fires of napalm and the whirl of helicopter blades. His vacation is just an impatient waiting game before getting back in the shit. The placement of the slow-motion images with the Doors’ song creates one of the most hypnotic and nihilistic opening sequences of the 1970s—and in a film that has withstood the decades to be considered an enduring classic. So to use that particular song so unironically in Army of the Dead is thus numbing because it appears to be a naked attempt to draw a line between the visual madness of Apocalypse Now with a fairly formulaic zombie movie.

The comparison is unflattering to Army of the Dead, yet it was entirely avoidable. Which makes its use all the more baffling, particularly as Snyder’s movie does have some smart music choices.

In fact, there is one unabashedly great needle drop in Army of the Dead, and as with several Snyder films before it, this occurs during the film’s opening credits. Early on in the Netflix release, we witness the fall of Las Vegas to the undead hordes in montage, experiencing in vignette the horror of seeing Sin City dragged through the mouth of Hell. During this sequence, an ironic use of “Viva Las Vegas” is played. Initially, this would seem to be another lazy choice, as using songs that feature the setting of a city can lead to something as uninspired as, well, just about every other movie that’s featured “Viva Las Vegas” and not starred Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret.

But in the case of Army of the Dead, Snyder makes the savvy choice of having Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe record a new cover of the Presley lounge act specifically for his movie. Cheese, a comedic and kitschy singer who made a career out of doing ironically swinging covers of pop songs or heavy metal anthems, previously appeared in Snyder’s last zombie movie, Dawn of the Dead. In that 2004 remake of the George A. Romero classic, Snyder deliciously used Cheese’s big band version of “Get Down with the Sickness,” a Disturbed head-banger about embracing disease and death. Yet with Cheese’s stylish vocalizations, it sounds downright jaunty over images of human survivors waiting around to die as the zombie horde outside continues to exponentially grow.

By having Cheese, as well as Crowe, offer a strangely more restrained version of Elvis’ goofy love letter to the city of sin, Army of the Dead brings the musical heritage of Vegas to the forefront while also destroying it on screen to a familiar song turned disaffected. It’s a legitimately clever sequence.

Perhaps that’s why the use of “Zombie” at the end of the film is so disappointing. Like characters having orgasms in Watchmen while Leonard Cohen bellows, “Hallelujah,” having the word “zombie” sung over the finale of your zombie apocalypse movie feels cheap and crass.

Of course if you scratch a little deeper at the scene in question, perhaps there is added meaning. After all, the Cranberries’ “Zombie” is an anti-war song about “your tanks, and your guns,” and at the end of Army of the Dead, Hardwick’s Vanderohe just survived the biggest weapon of war of all: a nuclear bomb. Is he perhaps surveying the carnage left by the nuke and thinking to himself, “the horror, the horror?”

Read more

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By Bernard Boo

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By David Crow

Snyder has publicly suggested it might be open to that interpretation. In an interview with Joe.ie, Snyder said, “I did it because it was literally the first song that I had on my playlist when I was writing the script. I would just listen to it and I just felt like because the movie is self-aware and ironic, and it kind of understands what it is—I really love that song because of its politics and importance.”

Snyder may acknowledge the political context (more off-screen than on), but I still don’t think the sequence works in that regard. Vanderohe is a mercenary of war and who has spent the whole film killing zombies. Now a nuclear bomb saved him from being trapped in a city overrun by zombies, while also making him a rich man. His eagerness to reach Mexico City and enjoy his newfound wealth does not suggest some enlightened epiphany by either the character or the film about the danger of militaristic annihilation. Rather it accompanies just another glib “twist” to a horror movie ending where at least one character thinks he’s safe and then—surprise—he’s not. You know, like Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead and pretty much every zombie movie going back to Romero’s Night of the Living Dead original (a film which did have plenty to say about the systemic horrors of the world with its ending).

The anti-war meaning of “Zombie” might add an extra layer to its use in Army of the Dead, but its lyrics about bombs still play as obvious, and thudding. It’s a shallow correlation being drawn by a film that’s too shallow to actually have anything to say on this subject matter, especially with less than 10 minutes of running time left.

Much like Hardwicke’s zombie bite at the end, Army of the Dead’s bad decisions leave permanent scars on the whole.

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The post Army of the Dead: The Problem with Zack Snyder Song Choices appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3uf3dhf

[jenasisity-blog]

Fanfic/Fandom Questions

Fandom Questions 1. What was the first fandom you got involved in? TMNT

2. What is your latest fandom? Haikyuu!!

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in? Haikyuu!!

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms? Nope, I'm not into certain fandoms any longer, but I don't regret the time I spent in them...

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for? TMNT

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

TMNT - brOTP

Haikyuu!! - IwaOi, DaiSuga, BokuAka, BoKuroo, OiKuro, MatsuHanaIwaOi, and BokuAkaKuroTsuki are my main ships.

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

TMNT - Brother x Brother and Donnie x April

Haikyuu!! - only KuroKen, really...I don't hate it, just not really into it all that much? I'll still read fics with the ship, though, if I'm intrigued by/into the plot.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom? I watched the anime, and the stage play, and the OVA(s), all that good stuff...though I will admit, I'm kinda annoyed at myself for putting off watching the series for a while, like I did.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom? I adore the humor, the friendliness/compassion and acceptance the Haikyuu!! fandom has for pretty much any ship...and I mean ANY SHIP. Like, we've heard of everything. xD

10. Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in? Yes, Haikyuu!!, and that sucks, because I want to write for the fandom so badly, but I just can't get the characterization down...when I write a character, it's like they're a completely different person, and I want to fight myself so badly. ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP? I ship IwaOi harder than anything, lol! Like, how can you not? xD I will go down with this ship~

12. Who is your current OT3? I don't have OT3s...I have OT4s! xD MatsuHanaIwaOi and BokuAkaKuroTsuki are my main OT4 ships.

13. Any NoTPs? Oh boy, you have to be careful with this. I don't want to start a war...but, as I said before, I'm pretty good with any ship...just...I don't really see KuroKen as romantic...just platonic, but that doesn't mean that I hate romantic KuroKen either, it's just...not my cup of tea, if you will. :)

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs? Ahhh, BoKuroo (I ship them both romantically and platonically) and KuroKen are my big ones! I also like the idea of KuroOi...

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love? Hmmm...I mean, @suguru got me falling into KuroShou really fast and hard, like, it should be a crime, really, and that's a ship not really well known, so I suppose that'd qualify??

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike? Um, please don't kill me, but I'm not much into KageHina....that's like a major sin, I know, but I like their friendship better, sorry KageHina shippers! ^^;

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite? IwaOi, all the way! As I said before, I'm goin' down with this ship!

18. What ship have you written the most about? Since I can't get my characterization down, I don't write for the fandom, but if I ever did, it's most likely be IwaOi or platonic ships.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them? As mentioned, not shipping KageHina is almost like a unspoken sin, but I don't really care? About shipping, in general, I mean. Like, everyone is intitled to their own opinions, to what they like and what they don't. Nobody should be degraded or threatened for what they like...and that also goes for what they don't, as well.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking? Hmmm...not really? If I like something, I usually like it just 'cause I like it, ya know? xD Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote? A TMNT One-Shot.

22. Is there anything you regret writing? Hmmm...no, not that I can think of.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it. Uhhh...I never finished any of my TMNT multi-chapter fics, at least not before I fell headfirst into Haikyuu!! Hell, so yeah...not really proud of any of them? Like, I liked my plot-bunnies, but I never went through with them and finished a actual multi-chapter fic, so....oh, but there was this one-shot that I wrote for an old online friend's birthday, and to also cheer her up and put her fears to rest, so yeah. I guess I'm quite proud of that one. :)

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit? As I said before, I only ever wrote in the TMNT fandom, but I'm no longer apart of it, so I wouldn't go back to edit/rewrite anything, but I'm sure all of my works are capable of improvement.

25. What’s your most popular fanfic? Hmmm...that would be We're All Just Built To Be Broken.

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles? Most times I use or get ideas from song names or lyrics, like above, other times I just rhyme the title or just use the work context to come up with a title that compliments the text.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries? Writing summaries, no doubt. I'm usually proud of them by the time I'm done changing/rewriting it a thousand time, but it's far more exhausting and time consuming than coming up with a title.

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of? I actually had a picture commissioned for another fic I did (never completed), called The Devil Within (another song name), but I honestly would like anything someone made for me out of their own busy time, I have no preferences. :)

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not? Nope, lol, I'm actually a Beta for a few awesome souls. xD I think I reread my works for mistakes enough to be my own beta reader, though I wouldn't mind the extra set of eyes! xD

30. What inspires you to write? Music, fanart, other fanfiction, and AUs. Basically everytime I hear a new song/see new art/read another fanfiction/AU, I have some kind of plot-bunny running around my head somewhere. Especially for the Haikyuu!! fandom.

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing? Just that they're excited for more and that they enjoyed it; if I make my readers happy, I'm happy.

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you? Ohhhh, yes. I listen to music constantly when I'm writing. The lyrics give me plot-bunnies and I listen to whatever genre I'm writing at the time. If it's angst, I put on some sad, slow music. Fluff and love? Happy, sweet, cute songs.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics? I like to write One-Shots, I gave a go at multi-chapter fics, but, as I said before, couldn't finish any of 'em.

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic? 4,693 words, for the fic The Devil Within. It wasn't ever completed.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about? Hmmm, no, I don't. Maybe I should, though, to try to get back into the swing of things...maybe I'll even see what I could do about my characterization skills?

36. What’s your favourite genre to write? Angst. Hands down angst. I love the pain and tears. \( ˆoˆ )/

37. First Person or Third Person - what do you write in and why? Third Person, I always write in Third Person. It's just default, unless I make a conscious effort to write in First.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs? Both, though I'm more familiar with writing with established characters.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer? I would like to say my writing style...I believe it to be very detailed and well thought out and put together. ~(0^0)~

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing? CHARACTERIZATION!!!! My gosh, do I need to work on my characterization...(￣ー￣ ) Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading: I'm not really readying anything currently, so I'll just post five of my favorite fanfics I bookmarked on AO3. Not in any particular order.

1. Come and get lost with us by boxofwonder

2. A Purpose by Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Pigeon

3. The Alpha King & I by caelestisxyz

4. Follow Rivers by surveycorpsjean

5. Build A Temple In Me by Authoress

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing: This is totally not all of my favorites, and they're not in any particular order.

1. surveycorpsjean

2. Triana

3. Frenchibi

4. codename_bewareofthefangirl

5. Amethystfairy1

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you? Yes, a lot of them do, but I'd say the top ones are @ichigomaniac, @codename-bewareofthefangirl, @haikyuulovercompany, @suguru, @here-is-my-happy-place, @craziiwolf, @dothewrite, @sugawaraformytea, @lovely-angst, @franeridart, @nekokat42, @ikipin, @03xlimit, and @kittlekrattle! Wow, that's a lot! As I said, I got more, but those are my main ones. xD

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention? Hmmm, I think evey ship needs the attention it deserves...all ships are treasured to someone.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic? Oh, come on, that's impossible to say!

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why? None, lol, never look into my TMNT stuff...it's horrid and besides, it's not getting updated anymore.

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why? AO3, all the way! It's a bigger and better community! ;)

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not? Sometimes, either when I have time or feel as if I need to absolutely say something. I always leave Kudos if I enjoyed the work, though. :)

49. Do you care if people leave comments/reblog your fic? Why/Why not? I'd love if people commented on my works, it makes me feel more inspired to finish them if I know there are people out there that enjoyed it and are waiting for the next installment.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction? Gosh, how do you not get into fanfiction?

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go! I downright adore how people can come in with their own ideas, their own AUs or even build off of other's AUs (with permission, of course), and everyone in the Haikyuu!! fanfic community does not care, as long as you respect their work! I adore that about this fandom. Everyone is left to their own devices and people don't care what you ship, as long as you're respectful. It's nice to be in a fandom that is so loving and accepting.

[shslshortie]

Okay I'm going to make a post because I can't deal with everything that got asked/shat out my way

I am sorry for this rant, but I am legit ready to leave tumblr again. Like I forgot why I hated it so much, but lord is this an unhealthy environment for so many reasons. Mainly, because of discourse/call out culture. And I'm obviously not talking about being "PC" or anything, but just being an all around mean spirited person if anyone says anything that either 1) doesn't agree with you/your views/your fandom, 2) if anything is even slightly false or not entirely fact-checked, or 3) goes against most popular opinions without writing an entire graduate-level thesis about why you believe your opinion/view/observation is valid. Like if you want to complain or voice an opinion about anything, or even joke about something that you think is funny, you could very likely almost immediately be called out or even be sent WAVES of hate that usually is completely undeserved. Especially since people are hiding behind a screen of anonymity or at least behind an online persona, they don't think about the person on the receiving end of it. They don't think how their mean spirited comments or backlash could effect them mentally, and they don't even stop to think what else could be going on in their lives. Yesterday, (was it yesterday? I think it was yesterday, but GOD was it a long fucking day if it was) I made some posts after recapping through the Rost. Cup after I watched each medalist's short and long, as well as all the US skaters, big names, and for the men and ladies, almost all 11 skaters honestly. I love figure skating, and NO, unlike a lot of people wrongfully assumed, am not a part of the "fandom" and did not get into it because of YOI. Was a passion reignited from like a barbeque level flame to a bonfire with YOI's help? Yes. But would it probably have gone to a similar level with the Olympic season going into full swing? Highly likely. But anyways, I made some posts because I wanted to voice some observations, complaints, and things I thought were funny because tumblr is the only place I ever really rant/voice theories/talk about a lot of my interests, since I don't have any irl friends who are interested in almost half of the things I am. So, tumblr is usually the place that I dump these feelings/thoughts. Sure, one of them was a little off-color, and posted without thinking, but after about an hour (and like 3-4 replies I think), I looked back on it, and realized it didn't need to be posted out there, even if I didn't mean it to be mean. Does this mean I owed every single person who "called me out" for being uninformed, or for being mean, or for being whatever the hell I am a reply? No. Did I know that some things were answered over Twitter, or weibo (sp?) or Reddit, or whatever other gd social media that I don't use? No. Does that man I am uniformed and spreading lies or whatever? I don't think so, and that doesn't make me a fucking villain. I also deleted it, because I realized I was wrong. End of story, part 1. But then, the figure skating fandom found some of my posts/commentary/rants. (god forbid they somehow find this and attack me ALL OVER AGAIN, except for y'all that were part of this whole issue. I hope y'all see this, because it's not like I blocked you. Except for one tumblr user who blocked me because of my post? Like you do you, except don't reblog my post and block me so I can't see what you said, presumably about how I am a terrible person). And apparently 1) if you insult/don't like/say Y***** H**** didn't do his best/were disappointed in him, or if you like the person who won over him more... Then you deserve to die. And 2) if you even make a post about YOI or other anime, you are a fake fan who knows nothing. And 3) even mirroring almost the exact words of sports (specifically figure skating) commentators in your posts means nothing? Like it OBVIOUSLY means that you are making up bullshit to hate on skaters that are popular and are misinformed, right??? Or if you say one thing that was similar to an APPARENTLY problematic broadcast group, that nothing (including any commentary from official other broadcasts, because GUESS WHAT: it's hard to find recordings of all of the programs and exhibitions with English commentary, and there are usually 3-4 networks that have it, and SO MANY people upload different ones to YouTube) else you say matters or has any merit. I haven't even read all of the hate mail and submissions I received from this debacle. My mental health can't take it. I literally woke up for school the next morning, saw my notifications and couldn't get myself to stop crying from the anger/upsetness/trauma/depressed thoughts that bubbled up with all of it, and I couldn't even get myself to go to class because I was so shaken. Like visibly, physically shaken, to the point where I couldn't think straight and I literally had tremors from how upset and unstable it made me feel. Tumblr should be a place where I can voice my opinion on something I am passionate about without all this hate. I literally have no other place. Right now, irl, I got dragged into drama (not mine, I swear, I was just a witness and got pulled into the mess) with my honor society, and the girl who started it all is trying to pit the entire organization against me. I can't post anything on my finsta, and God forbid I even tried to post anything in Facebook. (Not like I would). I am already in a very dark place mentally and emotionally because of the trauma this is putting me through, and how unwanted, useless and disgusting everybody is making me feel. I shouldn't be getting that from strangers who just decided to make my life even more miserable on top of it. Legitimately, out of the 30-40 comments/asks/replies/submissions I recieved, only one person even tried to realize where I was coming from or to educate me on what I had done wrong or missed in my analysis. But some of their wording just mirrored all the hate l had recieved, or even other things I had been told in real life that just made me cry even harder and I still can't bring myself to reply to even the person who was civil. My one big point to anyone who sees this is (besides don't be a dick/cyber bully/create and stir up unnecessary discourse) is don't assume that people don't know what they're talking about? Or don't assume that they are fake fans? And don't make people spell every letter of their opinion out for you in a 12 page thesis if it doesn't comply with the tumblr norm. Cuz here are some fun facts about me that I don't normally publicize / post about on tumblr: Yes, I am an anime fan, but Jesus Christ I love/am a huge fan of WAY more than I am in the fandom for. I am honestly only in like 4-5 anime fandoms. Same thing goes for other things I like, such as Harry Potter or marvel. I can like things, A LOT, and be passionate about them without being in the fandom. That doesn't mean I don't like it or I'm not knowledgable on the subject. That doesn't mean that I am an idiot for not knowing a fact/opinion/theory that has made its way around the fandom, that I'm not a part of. YES, I am a HUGE SPORTS FAN. It was legitimately also my fucking career (as a sports reporter/journalist/broadcaster). Do I post on tumblr about Baseball or Football or Hockey? Almost never. Does that make me any less of a fan, or does that make me any less knowledgeable about teams and rules? No. Does that mean that I didn't play/participate in almost every sport growing up? (baseball for 6 years, I still play Intermural football, tennis for 3 years, volleyball for 4, soccer for 1, swimming for like 5 years, I tried track, even karate and some other random stuff.) YES, I AM FUCKING KNOWLEDGABLE ABOUT PERFORMANCE SPORTS. I have participated/competed/trained/still watch almost every kind of performance sport. Of course color guard and marching band has been the longest, and the thing I was best at (7 years), but I grew up doing all kinds of dance and I still do lots of dance, as well as TONS of my own choreography. I've done baton and cheer for about 1-2 years each too. I did gymnastics for 4 years — was I very good? hell no. But do I know about it and appreciate it? Yes. SAME THING GOES FOR FIGURE SKATING. I only had like half a years worth of lessons, and like 3 routines that I ever finished and performed with figure skating, but that is because it is an expensive af sport, and I had way more activities and sports that I was better at, more passionate about learning, and were more accessible. BUT did I grow up going to figure skating shows like Disney on Ice or Stars on ice? Did that stop me from waiting in line for hours to get Michelle Kwan and other famous figure skaters autographs? No. Did that stop me from watching almost every single minute of the 2014 and 2010 Olympics? No. Do I still remember watching parts of the 2006 Olympics with my parents and absolutely being ENTHRALLED and wanting to do that too? YES. I still remember watching the 2014 Olympics from my aunt's house when I was staying on a cot in her living room because my mother was in the hospital and CRYING when I saw Y* H* perform, break world records, and win the gold. It was a sense of normalcy and awe because everything else going wrong in my life didn't matter while I was watching these amazing athletes perform. And GUESS WHAT, since I'm not really a part of the Figure Skating fandom (just like I'm not in the musical theatre fandom, or in anything regards to hair or makeup) I don't post about my own hype or plans regarding how excited I am for things to come out. So nobody here on tumblr, or almost ANYONE knew how excited I was for this upcoming Grand Prix season for the first actual competition of the Olympic season. I watched almost every challenger series video, as well as the autumn winter classic and competitions of the like. Even the JGPF events in anticipation. But guess what: I literally have a note on my phone that has all of Team USA's competition schedules, and their scores that they have gotten so far (like at the COR), along with a list of my favorite international skaters, and other new skaters to watch. I was so hype, so excited, and I thought that maybe, since figure skating had boomed in popularity, thanks in part to YOI (but also, helped people be more vocal and open about how much they love the sport even if ex already did) I would be able to discuss the excitement with other people. But no. Instead of being able to say "omg I'm so excited for blah blah blah, I hope they make the Olympic team. But I also love this show concept and this other persons costume, and you also can't count out blah blah blah" and being civil with conversation among other fans... They instead will say " wow you like blah blah blah? But you said this about them, and that offends me so you're wrong, and you forgot this tiny detail from 3 years ago, and you like anime so you OBVIOUSLY only care about figure skating because of YOI. Take your bandwagon fan bullshit away from me and go kill yourself". So now, I am staying the fuck away from the figure skating fandom, I've literally left half of my choreography untouched for almost 2-3 months, don't want to read/finish any of my YOI fanfics, and will probably even have a hard time watching Skate Can this weekend (even though like 6 of my favorite skaters are competing, and I was so excited before). Guess I'll just have to annoy my snapchat friends with videos of skating and me screaming because of skating. Fuck you tumblr, and I doubt I'll make any more original posts outside of APO planning and reblogs in the foreseeable future,

[dalepwithchari]

Spotify’s missing money-maker is artist-to-fan messaging

Buy some great High Tech products from WithCharity.org #All Profits go to Charity

Streaming royalties are too expensive for Spotify to thrive as a public company just playing us songs. Spotify’s shares closed down 10 percent today during its NYSE trading debut. Luckily it controls much of the relationship between musicians and their fans on its app, poising it to build a powerful revenue and artist loyalty generator by connecting the two through native advertising and messaging that doesn’t stop the music.

Spotify already has a wide range of ad experiences built for traditional brands, from audio ads to display units to sponsored sessions where users get ad-free playback in exchange for watching a commercial. But none of these ad units are designed to help musicians grow their audience within Spotify, even if they can be bent to that purpose.

Spotify could win big by following Facebook’s roadmap.

Back in 2007, Facebook already had ads that led offsite. Think of these as Spotify’s existing audio and display ads. But when Facebook built Pages that let businesses reach you through the News Feed, it also launched ads that let them promote and grow their Pages within Facebook. Unlike the stock banner ads you see all over the web, these ads were native to Facebook, targeted with its profile data, and they used social referrals about Pages your friends interacted with to rope you in. These gave entities on Facebook a paid way to grow their popularity inside the platform.

This is Spotify’s opportunity.

Spotify’s existing ad units are designed for brands, not musicians

A few years ago, Spotify’s user base was too small for artists to focus on spending money there to get popular. But Spotify has grown to the size where it’s replacing top 40 radio, and over 30 percent of listening now comes from its recommendations and algorithmic playlists like Discover Weekly. The record labels now need Spotify to have a hit. Between that influence and it’s stature as the biggest on-demand music streaming service, Spotify has the leverage to offer artists the best tool to boost their fan base. Whether artists want to build a following on Spotify, sell collectors’ items, or fill premium front-row seats at their shows, Spotify could hook them up.

The no-longer-a-startup has already built the groundwork for this with the launch of its Spotify For Artists analytics dashboard app last year that shows a musician’s top songs, and the demographics of their fans including their location, gender, age, and what else they listen to. Spotify’s proven the power of this data with its Fans First email campaigns that let artists reach their most frequent listeners with access to concert ticket pre-sales and exclusive merchandise. It claims the emails see a 40 percent open rate, and 17 percent click-through rate — way higher than the industry standard.

But if Spotify built new surfaces for artists to reach out directly to fans within its apps, it could become the destination for record label marketing money. Since these artist ads and messages would all drive users deeper into the app rather than away from it like brand ads, Spotify could charge less than traditional ads and make them affordable to labels on a budget or musicians paying out-of-pocket.

Here are some ways Spotify could create native artist-to-fan marketing channels:

Sponsored songs on its algorithmic playlists could expose fans to artists in the most natural way possible, or turn one-time listeners into loyalists. Wherever there’s recommendations, there’s room for paid discovery. Listeners could easily skip the track or switch to a different playlist, but might end up falling in love with the band, and diving into their catalogue. It’s the equivalent of Facebook’s in-News Feed native ads, but with a musician promoted instead of a business’ Page. Spotify was actually spotted testing what was effectively a sponsored song in mid-2017 above the start of some playlists. While there was an opt-out option within the app’s Settings that’s since disappeared, Spotify has at least considered this idea.

Spotify was spotted testing what was effectively a Sponsored Song back in mid-2017

Promoted Artists could use a similar model to Google’s AdWords sponsored search results. When users search for an artist, they could be shown similar artists who’ve paid to be promoted in the search typeahead or results page. Spotify could also insert a box within the profile of another artist you’re browsing below their top tracks. Spotify already lists a slew of related artists in text, but could highlight one that pays, perhaps showing one of their songs that could be instantly played.

Featured Artists could give artists that pay a special slot on Spotify’s browse page. With so many recommendations here, it’d be easy to insert a sponsored section without feeling interruptive.

Sponsored Visualizations could make better use of your screen while you listen. Rather than just staring at the album art and playback controls, Spotify could let artists pitch fans their other music, tickets, gear, or social media channels. Spotify could also fill this space with entertaining silent video clips, photo slideshows, and biographical info as I suggested as a differentiator in 2016, and similar to how lyrics site Genius started doing with its Stories this week. Given users are currently listening to the artist, they might be primed for these experiences. Spotify has already tested letting artists show GIFs during playback, and has partnered with Genius to show Behind The Music factoids, but this is real estate that could help artists earn more money as well as entertain fans.

Direct Messaging

The most ambitious and audacious way to let artists reach fans would be a special artist-to-fan messaging channel. Spotify got rid of its in-app inbox and messaging feature for sending friends songs a few years ago, instead pushing users to share music via their chat app of choice. But similar to the Fans First email campaigns, Spotify could create a special artist-to-fan messaging section in its app that could alert users to new releases and playlists as brand advertising, or even push tours and merchandise as more direct performance advertising.

Spotify could give all artists a certain volume of messages they could send for free or let them reach out just to the top 1% of fans a certain number of times per month or year. Then artists could pay to send more messages beyond the limits. Alternatively, it could just charge for any use of messaging.

Done wrong, the above options could feel like Spotify gouging artists to reach their own fans. But done right, users might actually enjoy it. These connections wouldn’t be too far off from following an artist on other social media, but where people are already listening. Finding out about one of your favorite band’s new albums, tours, or t-shirts might feel less like an ad and more like an inside tip from the fan club.

Spotify might be able to get away with showing some of these different experiences to users who’ve subscribed if they don’t get in the way of music listening. Swinging to the other end of the opportunity spectrum, the company could just give away all these experiences to artists, boosting their loyalty to Spotify and getting them to promote their presence there instead of on competing streaming services like Apple Music.

If Spotify doesn’t figure out a way to improve its margins with additional revenue drivers, it may have a tough time surviving as a public company. If it becomes too profitable from just music streaming, the labels can always try to increase their royalty rates. Spotify might hope that more artists work with it directly, cutting out the middlemen, but the record labels still provide some important marketing, radio promotion, and distribution services that artists need. Meanwhile, startups including United Masters (which raised a $70 million Series A from Google parent Alphabet and Andreessen Horowitz) adnd subscription crowdfunding platforms like Patreon want to usurp the record labels and become the way artists earn more before Spotify can.

This New York Times’ chart shows why musicians feel screwed, even though it’s labels keeping their money not Spotify

Creating ways to connect with listeners could offer Spotify a way to combat the enduring narrative that it’s screwing over musicians. If Spotify can prove these artist-to-fan messaging options earn them more than they cost, it could be seen as the streaming service that’s actually trying to help musicians make a living.

Recorded music has become primarily a promotional tool for all of a musician’s other revenue monetization methods since the dawn of the MP3. Streaming’s on-demand structure and no-extra-cost-per-play nature turns the curious listener who’s only heard of an artist or just likes one single into a diehard fan who shells out the big bucks every time their favorite act is in town.

As we shift to an experiential culture where our possessions are digitized and its our interests that define us, people want to feel closer to the creators they love. Artist-to-fan messaging could bring the whole life-cycle from discovery to affinity to real monetization beyond the royalties all within one green and black app.

For more on Spotify going public, read our feature stories:

Spotify traded down 10% on first day, achieved $26.5 billion market cap

Going public pits Spotify’s suggestions against everyone

    [Read More …]

Spotify’s missing money-maker is artist-to-fan messaging

[corneliussteinbeck]

GGS Spotlight: Jen De Mel

Name: Jen de Mel Age: 37 Location: London, UK

What does being a Girl Gone Strong mean to you? Being a Girl Gone Strong means feeling powerful instead of small. It means having confidence and being proud of what my body can do, and feeling good in my own skin.

When I think of GGS, I think about smart training and about having more meaningful training goals based on performance.

Being a GGS means influencing other women to accept and be proud of their bodies and not wanting to be a different body type that the one they have been blessed with.

How long have you been strength training, and how did you get started? I’ve been strength training since 2010, when I lost interest in doing things that made my body feel bad, such as partying too often and became more interested in doing things that made me feel good, such as training and being kind to myself.

What does your typical workout look like? Full-body workouts mainly strength with a cardio intervals finisher. For example…

Warm-up and mobility for the first 15 minutes:

Cat/Camel

Thoracic mobility, such as open book

Hip mobility, such as fire hydrants

Glute activation such as clamshells, hip bridge, x-band walks

Core activation such as bird dog, moving planks, dead bugs

Training session, 30 to 45 minutes. I prefer supersets because they feel more metabolic:

A1. Chin-Up 3xAMRAP A2. BB Split Squat 3×10

B1. Push-Up 3×10 B2. Romanian Deadlift 3×10

Finisher :30/:30 work/rest ratio

C1. Moving Plank C2. Kettlebell Swing C3. Ski Erg

By the way, the above is not an example of a typical pregnancy workout! Those are my typical go-to exercises if I’m not following a specific program. Pregnancy workouts have been shorter.

Warm-Up/Mobility:

A hip opener such as 90/90 split squat, pigeon stretch, and fire hydrant

Glute and core activation

Training session, 3-4 sets of 10 reps each:

A1. Seated Row A2. Goblet Squat or Romanian Deadlift A3. Alternating Leg Lowering or Band-Resisted Bird Dog A4. Hip Bridge variations

Finish with Intervals, 8-10 sets of :20/:40 work/rest ratio (usually ski erg and kettlebell swings), or with 30 minutes of steady-state cardio depending on time available.

Favorite Lift: Romanian Deadlift. What’s not to love? It’s a full-body, compound movement and teaches you a great movement pattern of the hip hinge while building great strength in the hamstrings, glutes, core, and lats.

Most memorable PR: In the gym: six weighted chin-ups with 10 kilos. Outside of the gym (water skiing): 5.5 bouys at 34 miles per hour on the slalom course.

Top 5 songs on your training playlist:

Crave You – Flight Facilities

Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap

Livin’ on the Edge — Aerosmith

Perfect Form – Cyril Hahn

Up and Down – Kattison

Top 3 things you must have at the gym or in your gym bag:

Headphones, phone, and water.

Do you prefer to train alone or with others? Why? Both. I like training alone, but I get more motivated when I train with others. I enjoy mixing up my usual routine.

Most embarrassing gym moment: Almost falling off the treadmill because the endorphins and song I was listening to got me feeling so high that I closed my eyes momentarily and lost my balance.

Most memorable compliment you’ve received lately: Someone called me “superwoman” because I’m six months pregnant and still super active and hosting a large family gathering at the last minute while making it look easy (It wasn’t. My feet were throbbing and most of the dishes were overcooked!)

Most recent compliment you gave someone else: “You’re the best!” to my dog Tyson. That doesn’t count? OK, I told my sister that she is brilliant in times of crisis, and she has held our family together during a traumatic event.

Favorite meal: Fish (like seabass) and greens. Boring, I know, but I eat it every day and don’t get bored. I was gutted when I had such a strong aversion to it during my first trimester of pregnancy.

Favorite way to treat yourself: Pregnancy massages are my favorite way to relax these days.

Favorite quote: “Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.” from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Favorite book: The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

What inspires and motivates you? People who are challenged physically and achieve more than most, such as Bethany Hamilton (a champion surfer who lost her arm to a shark and became a world champion surfer anyway). Overcoming that kind of adversity rather than letting fate deal you a cruel card is ridiculously inspiring and always makes get it together if I start to feel sorry for myself.

What do you do? I am a pre- and postnatal fitness coach, and a corporate ethics consultant. And

What else do you do? I am crazy about slalom water skiing. It’s the feeling of being on the water, the sunshine, spending the day hanging out at the lake with friends, the exhilaration, and adrenaline of the sport, competing against myself, trying to control the inner monkey who keeps trying to sabotage my best passes by telling me not to mess it up. Plus, I just think it’s the coolest sport in the world, and because it’s not that big or popular you can actually get quite close to the champions who inspire you!

Describe a typical day: I wake up at 6:30 and go to the gym. Then I take Tyson (our mini schnauzer) for a walk in the communal garden, where he plays with all the other dogs. Just watching him being so playful makes me feel happy, so it’s such a great way to start the day.

I pick up some coffee for Priyan (my husband) and me from Coffee Plant (best coffee on the famous Portobello Road in Notting Hill!) and go home to make us breakfast at around 9 a.m., before I wash and settle down for work and household chores, etc.

The rest of the day seems to slip by until it’s time for dinner at around 7 p.m. after Priyan has taken Tyson out for his second walk. Then we relax and watch some TV. Usually, Priyan is watching football, and I’ll be looking at social media our reading unless there’s a new season of House of Cards or Game of Thrones to watch!

Your next training goal: Being six months pregnant, my current training goal is learning and practicing body positivity — regardless of how many kilos I am gaining — and training for function rather than performance. But I’m dying to get super fit again next year and prepare for “Women’s Week” in Orlando, in September 2018 with the female world champion water-skier, Whitney McClintock. I want to smash my personal best on the slalom course and start shortening rope lengths.

For what are you most grateful? Good health for me, family, and friends.

Of what life accomplishment do you feel most proud? There was a time in my life when I was down in the dumps after suddenly losing my dad to cancer, and I was low on self-esteem, drinking too much, and not being good to myself. I decided I needed to get out of the rut and in the space of a few months turned my whole outlook on life around through exercise, holistic therapies, and nutrition. It helped me become happy, confident, and relaxed.

Which three words best describe you? My best friend and husband are hanging out next to me while I’m answering this, so I asked them to answer for me. They said “fun, loyal, and adventurous.”

What’s a risk you’ve taken recently, and how did it turn out? Having the courage to walk away from a well-compensated legal career at a company where I worked for 10 years to pursue my dreams of being a strength and conditioning coach.

How has lifting weights changed your life? Lifting weights has helped me make the shift from training solely for aesthetics and burning calories to training for function and performance, which is a far more consistent, satisfying, and empowering goal for me.

What’s the coolest “side effect” you’ve experienced from strength training? Feeling fearless and bad-ass!

What do you want to say to other women who might be nervous or hesitant about strength training? There’s absolutely nothing to lose by asking one of the trainers in the gym to show you how to perform a lift with proper form. If they’re not busy training clients, they will gladly help you out, that’s our job! It could transform the way you train. If you’ve never tried it before, you’ll love how much you will improve and get stronger and see your body (and your mind) transform quite quickly! Proper form is key, and there are always ways to improve. It’s 100 percent worth asking a trainer or investing in a few training sessions to learn the ropes.

To learn more about Jen, check out her website and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram!

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