#they were actually at the brian fallon show

[ridenwithbiden]

On Jan. 6, 2021, then-President Donald Trump held a rally on the Ellipse, with the White House in the background, telling his supporters to “fight like hell” before a mob of them violently stormed the Capitol where Congress was certifying that he had lost the election.

Tonight, a week before Election Day, Vice President Harris will use the same backdrop to lay out the closing argument of her campaign: that it’s time to turn the page on the divisive and chaotic Trump era.

More than 20,000 people are expected for the event, which is aimed at reaching what campaign operatives call "low propensity" voters who aren't usually all that interested in politics — to try to convince them to cast a ballot.

”This speech is really designed to reach those undecided voters, those folks that are making the decision to break through in a moment when it's sometimes hard to break through, and really to talk about what's at stake in this election,” campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters.

”It's really a reminder of the gravity of the job: how much a president can do for good — and for bad — to shape the country and impact people's lives,” she said.

Rally after rally, Harris has talked about Jan. 6

Harris started off her campaign as a joyful warrior. But as the race wore on and polls showed it tightening, Harris has increasingly leaned on the dangers of electing Trump — a candidate she argues is “unhinged and unstable.”

Harris elevated dire warnings about Trump as she campaigned with former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, trying to peel off moderate Republicans and independents appalled by what had happened on Jan. 6.

“He refused to accept the will of the people and the results of an election that was free and fair,” Harris has said.

Last week, she agreed that Trump is a “fascist” after the New York Times released interviews with retired Marine Gen. John Kelly making that same charge.

Kelly had been White House chief of staff to Trump and said his former boss, in private, even praised Hitler and his generals. The Trump campaign dismissed Kelly’s stories as fabrications.

For Harris, this was another opportunity to drive home her warning. “This is a window into who Donald Trump really is from the people who know him best,” Harris said.

Echoes of Clinton’s campaign

Hillary Clinton also issued dire warnings in the closing days of her 2016 campaign, reminding voters that in a debate, Trump had refused to say he would accept the results of the election.

“Make no mistake: by doing that, he is threatening our democracy,” Clinton said.

Trump won the 2016 election and gladly accepted the results.

At the time, Clinton’s warnings were seen by many as over the top: a last-minute effort to try to move voters. People were skeptical, said Brian Fallon, who worked on the Clinton campaign and is a senior adviser to Harris now.

“There was a phenomenon of taking Trump seriously but not literally,” Fallon said echoing a line that became a mantra after Trump’s 2016 win.

But now, Fallon argues it’s different — because Trump refused to accept his loss in 2020, and still hasn’t. He has described Jan. 6 as “a day of love” and has pledged to pardon at least some of those who were prosecuted for their actions that day.

“We’re not asking anybody to suspend disbelief in order to entertain these warnings,” said Fallon. “This is something that is the American people’s actual experience over the past several years.”

The argument is persuasive for some groups of voters

The Harris campaign has its attention trained on swing-state suburbs where tens of thousands of Republicans voted for Nikki Haley rather than Trump in the Republican primary — in some cases, even after she had dropped out of the race.

In polls and focus groups, voters say they are worried about violence around this year’s election.

“This isn’t hypothetical anymore,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster. “It’s real lived experience.”

Warnings about Trump are persuasive to women swing voters, and are mobilizing for women and Democratic men, Lake said. These are voters like Susan Shurina, who spoke to NPR’s Asma Khalid after voting early in Alpharetta, Ga.

“I supported the Democratic Party this time although I’m a registered Republican,” Shurina said last week. “I’m just fearful of the rhetoric I hear from Trump. He seems to be very violent in wanting to control, and vengeful.”

But Marc Lotter, who served in the Trump administration and now works at a pro-Trump think-tank, argued Harris’ warnings will ring hollow with a lot of voters, who already lived through one Trump term.

“Well, he didn’t lock her up,” Lotter said of Trump’s threat to Hillary Clinton.

Lotter said he sees Harris’ warnings as a desperation move — a scare tactic — because Harris hasn’t been able to convince undecided voters she would be better for them than Trump.

“I don’t see how that’s going to be the winning factor at the end,” Lotter said.

Harris will present a contrast

Some Democrats have worried Harris’ warnings are not enough to get across the finish line in a very tight race where voters rank economic concerns as their top priority.

Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a group that grew out of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign, said he is worried some on the left will stay home rather than vote, or will consider third parties.

Harris is set to argue that Trump, if elected, will continue to focus on himself and his growing list of personal enemies, citing his own increasingly inflammatory closing arguments.

“He calls these Americans the enemy within and says that he would use the American military to go after American citizens,” said Harris.

She will contrast that with what she has been calling her “to-do list” of policies to try to bring down prices and make life easier for Americans.

“She's obviously going to touch on lowering costs on things like groceries, housing, health care,” Harris' campaign chair O'Malley Dillon said. “You're going to hear her really speak to middle class families, and what they're worried about and what she's going to do about it.”

NPR's Asma Khalid contributed to this story.

[lucerodiehards]

Brian Fallon Crossroads 01/05/2024

Dozens of people have the same complaint, but that group only goes on the attack. If multiple people say your "just having fun" is ruining the experience for everyone else, you would think it'd trigger a little self reflection.

This thread seem to love walls of text so I'll respond in kind. Please - I am legitimately begging you - if you love Brian so much, listen to the his other fans and let these shows be a fun place for everyone. It sucks that NJ residents never get a real show because the group often hijacks it and make it about them.

These sentiments were echoed by 10+ in this thread alone:

Brian is essentially forced to interact and socialize with those close knit "groupies" that insist on a more immediate relationship to Brian due to their proximity to him and the band... Even if he doesn't indulge them, some of those fans seem to insist themselves on Brian. Banter, adding into his conversation, booing, song requests, etc... Those groupies annoy the hell out of me with their gate keeping and insistence that they know better than any other fan... Even on subjective points of view. I can only guess what Brian may feel about it from time to time. They're basically in his backyard waiting for their opportunity to have a conversation/story for themselves.

All of that said, I think it was made way worse by a handful of people at the front of the stage that exacerbated his "condition" and kept trying to insert themselves into the show. These people were all interested in pulling Brian into little side conversations as opposed to actually letting him get on and play some songs. I get that these people - as someone else here pointed out - think Brian is Jesus, but to most people there (or at least me) he is just a dude who wrote some songs they really like. And they'd rather hear him play some of those songs than watch you grovel for attention and little pats on the head. So if you went to the show and feel you wasted time/money, I'm sorry and you are justified. By all means be mad at Brian, but be equally mad at them.

+1 to the groupies. the blind worship and gatekeeping is exhausting.

The problem I always had was when the crowd engaged back and just let it continue on.

Too many people that were on the front row worship him like he’s Jesus, and think anything he does is good.

He should stay away from Crossroads for a while. Their promoter is a massive enabler (IYKYK)

Yesss I am in the gaslight groups and there’s one girl who thinks she knows everythingggg because she’s met BF etc. talked about how he feels comfortable talking with the “group at the front” because if he was feeling anxious he knows them etc. The groupies and know it alls thinking they have some insight and connection is laughable.

It was very hard to follow and a lot of it was off mic just to people in the front row.

He yelled at the crowd, he talked off mic constantly to whoever was in the front row.

These hardcore "I know and you don't" fans literally use their relationship with the band to correct anyone and everyone and put down any legitimate conversation that isn't complementary.

There is a very real parasocial thing going on in the fan base of this band, and it’s weirded me out considerably.

Brian played 5 songs, one being a song this annoying girl in the front kept asking him to play

They’re not fans. Everyone I know calls them Stans. They’re stans, and they’re awful.

Bonus comments from Facebook:

To whoever was in the front row - if the talking has been going on for 10 min and he looks like he's about to start a song, could you let that happen please. You made it worse for everyone so you have your 30 seconds of talking to him - us people in the back need your help.

The people up front cause way more harm than good from the vantage point of the people in the back - nice little convo about it before some left.

I think the reactions to this event have been the biggest turn off for me personally. Even the most mildly worded critiques were instantly dogpiled on and people being told they’re entitled or insensitive, etc. Anything less than complete positivity about a bad show was taken as a personal attack on Brian when there was really none of that that I saw. What about that is appealing or welcoming to someone not already a part of the clique? I’ve thought seriously the past couple of years about traveling to one of the Crossroads shows but wasn’t able to swing it financially with the holidays and with this situation and the group response - the appeal is pretty gone.

This is one reason I stopped coming to crossroads Fallon shows… It does seem exclusive and you have to be “in the know” or “the biggest fan” and it doesn’t feel good to be around it, especially in such a small venue. I love all of you in this crew but I did not like feeling like we were the “plastics” of the TGA world. I like showing up quietly finding the rail and enjoying the show. I don’t ever want to be “center of attention” and that is the feeling I got there.

I feel like every time I try to participate in this group I get comments that are less than friendly, despite being a member for years.

it wasn’t cool that people in your friend group kept queue jumping though. i was there on the 1st Saturday show and got there at around 5:30 because i’m short and want to be close enough to see the stage. i don’t want to start conflict but i know i’m not the only one who thought it was unfair every time we saw more and more people cut in front of us to join your group up in the front by the door while there was already a line growing behind y’all. I chatted with the couple behind me that drove from the other side of the country and they also seemed to agree it’s not fair to us who actually took the time to show up early and wait outside in the cold/ slight rain. at the end of the day, we’re all there to have a good time but that was just plain rude even if wasn’t intentional

I personally limit my responses in these groups partially due to the vibe. As for Friday, no one should be insulting anyone and everyone should be able to speak of their personal experience without being judged or possibly attacked by what can come across as a rabid fanbase.

the show kind of made me feel like I was back in high school- the cool kids have their designated spot, matching outfits, and inside jokes.

TAKEN FROM THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM SUBREDDIT. https://www.reddit.com/r/TheGaslightAnthem/comments/190sdc2/crossroads_controversy/kgwo39f/?context=3

[barnesandrogersfanfics]

Ocean Eyes - Part 13

A/N - OMG finally an update!!! I'm so sorry it has taken me so long but writers block is a bitch! Thank you all for sticking with me and being so patient 💕💕💕 Please like/comment/reblog.

"CHRIS EVANS HAS A SECRET FAMILY!"

Shit, shit. Shit! Oh my fuck this can't be happening!! I thought to myself as i clicked on the link Hannah had sent me, the page loaded showing photo's of Chris and I kissing, photo's of Chris and Mason...... my heart was racing and i could feel the panic setting in.

"Fucking Brian!" I mumbled, this was taken the day i saw his car outfront! I got up and made my way to Chris' office, i needed to let him know about this ASAP incase he was suddenly blind sided with a question while doing his interview.

As soon as i appeared in the doorway Chris looked up and gave me a little smile that soon fell when he saw the tears in my eyes.

"Im so sorry but can you just excuse me for two seconds..... i'll be right back" Chris said leaving Scott talking to Jimmy Fallon.

"Whats wrong?....." he asked quietly pulling the door closed behind him.

"Im so sorry Chris....." i shook my head.

"Why? Whats happened?...."

I passed him my phone showing him the headline and photo's "Everyone knows, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault...." i started to cry, this isn't how i wanted everyone to find out... we weren't ready for everyone to know yet!!

"Hey stop! This isn't your fault sweetheart!" Chris wrapped his arms around me "come on don't cry, i hate it when you cry".

"Im so mad Chris!...they have no right posting photo's of Mason!"

"Let me just go finish up this interview, i'll be two minutes" he kissed me before rushing back to finish up with Jimmy.

After Chris had finished up his interview he was calling his publicist Megan, he already had missed calls from her so she had obviously heard what was going on. An hour later she was sat on the sofa across from us listening to the whole story.

"I want those photo's of my son taken down now! They can't post photo's of my 6 year old for everyone to see!" Chris was yelling as he paced the room.

"I've already put in a call and told them to take it down, but you know its gonna be out there now....you can't hide from this Chris"

"I know but.... fuck! We didn't want Mason in the public eye..... he's just a kid!"

"I get it, they should have at least blurred his face in the shots, most tabloids do nowadays unless the parents give consent but this particular tabloid that published the story, they're not one of the big names so they're more interested in their 5 minutes of fame with this exclusive"

"Brian did this. He did it to hurt me, its not even about the money! He could've sold the story to one of the big tabloids and got a payout..." i shook my head "the guy is crazy! I wasn't even dating him!"

"We're gonna try and do something about him too, leave it with me" Megan gave me a small smile while writing something in her notebook "So, you should probably post something on your socials.... clear up the gossip. Usually id say don't react to this but we need to do some damage control because right now, i guarantee all people are thinking is either you've been an absentee father with no interest in your son for the past six years" she said looking to Chris "or you'll be public enemy number one for keeping Chris's son from him" she looked over to me and i lowered my head in shame, i had done that..... i had my reasons but i did it all the same.

"So what do we say?" I asked quietly as Chris came and sat beside me taking my hand.

"We say that even though the two of you haven't been together romantically up until now, you have been raising your son together but chose to keep him out of the public eye"

"I'll put something together for you to look over, make sure you think its okay" Chris told her.

"I know this isn't great but we can handle this"

"Thank you Megan".

Over the next couple of days things gradually calmed down, Chris had posted a simple statement which i was told to post too even though my accounts were private to friends only, he didn't go into much detail but confirmed that we do have a son together and asked for our privacy to be respected.

His fans had actually been amazing and so supportive, of course there were a few saying some not so nice things about me and Mason but we knew that would happen. The tabloid stories quickly disappeared regarding Mason when other celebrities started posting, calling the tabloids out for not respecting our privacy after we had made it clear we didn't want our son in the spotlight.

But i still had this constant pit in my stomach, a feeling that things would still get worse before they went back to normal.

I was currently laid on the bed next to a basket of laundry that needed folding and putting away, I had retreated upstairs with the excuse of doing laundry while Chris, Scott and Mason were out back playing some game. The truth was i just needed some alone time, i was tired of putting on a brave and happy face, pretending like everything was fine. My hands massaged my temples trying to shift the dull headache that seemed like a constant thing lately.

"Hey, you okay?" The sound of Chris's voice from the door way made me crack open an eye to look at him.

"Yeah, headache is all"

"You've been up here a while, i got worried"

"I was doing laundry i told you....."

"You mean the laundry still sitting next to you?" He teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep, i started then i got a headache. I just need a few minutes" i said quietly closing my eyes again.

"Sweetheart you know you can talk to me, you don't have to act like everything is fine....."

"Yes i do, if i don't I'm gonna loose it and i can't do that with Mason around".

I felt the bottom of the bed dip and opened my eyes to see Chris crawling up the bed towards me, he moved my legs so his upper body was resting between them as he pressed kisses to my T-shirt covered stomach.

"What are you doing?" I shook my head and chuckled at the playful look he had on his face.

"Trying to cheer you up, maybe help you forget for a while" he smirked pushing my T-shirt up more so he could kiss my bare skin this time.

"Is now really the time for that? Mason is awake downstairs...."

"Its the perfect time for that, Scott will keep Mason busy"

"You dont know that....."

Chris quickly pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped quickly on the screen before tossing it aside.

"Done, no distractions" he laughed.

"Oh god please don't tell me you told Scott why?"

"Of course not but he's not stupid"

"This is a bad idea..... we said slow...."

"This is slow, i just wanna make you feel better. Plus you know orgasm's are supposed to help with headaches" he shrugged with that cocky grin.

"Oh really? Is that right?"

"100%" he nodded making us both laugh, he reached for my shorts and starting to pull the them down my legs...

"Wait!" I said suddenly sitting up to look at him making him groan as he looked back at me from between my legs.

"What?"

"Lock the door would ya?" I giggled throwing myself back down on the bed shaking my head as he leapt from the bed and flipped the lock.

"Now where were we?" He said before crawling back into position.....this was a bad idea.

Everything taglist: @jesseswartzwelder @dumblani @barnesandrogersworld @patzammit @rynabarnesrogers-reading @rainbowkisses31 @rororo06 @supernaturalwintersoldier @fairlightswiftly @hiddelstannerbarnes @bellamy-barnes @buchanansebba @rosalynshields @turtoix @dottirose

Ocean eyes: @supraveng @michelehansel @melissaglenn5 @denisemarieangelina

@mrsjeffwittek @mery-be @marvelfansworld @cmalass @capstopavenger @fallenoutofrose @kelbabyblue @biebsmylife95 @loser-alert @traceyaudette @w3lissax @jennmurawski13 @ford66steal @saiyanprincessswanie @christocrave

@jakiki94 @torntaltos @my-dearest-agent @ms-betsy-fangirl

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

On Monday, Texas lawmakers gave a first glimpse at what the state’s new congressional districts may look like. The redrawn map was highly anticipated given that Texas gained two additional congressional seats — the most of any state — during the reapportionment process and because Republicans are fully in control of the state’s redistricting process. Yet the new map, if passed, would not substantially alter the topline partisan breakdown of Texas’s seats. It appears that Republican mapmakers prioritized defending the GOP’s current seat advantage over trying to significantly expand it.

Overall, this map creates 24 solid or likely Republican seats, 13 solid or likely Democratic seats and one swing seat in the Rio Grande Valley. (The state’s two new districts will be placed in the Austin and Houston metropolitan areas, as those two areas fueled much of the state’s population growth since 2010.) But this isn’t that much different than what Texas’s map currently looks like: At present, the delegation is made up of 23 Republicans and 13 Democrats.

This is still a very good map for Republicans, though, because mapmakers strengthened the GOP’s advantage in the state by making a number of potentially vulnerable seats held by Republicans much redder, with the newest Houston-area seat also drawn so that it’s favorable to Republican candidates. As the table below shows, the current map has 11 Republican incumbents in seats that were less than 20 points more Republican than the country as a whole, according to FiveThirtyEight’s partisan lean metric.1 But on the new map, all but one Republican-held seat would be R+20 or stronger for the GOP.

GOP incumbents are protected in Texas’s new proposed map

Change in partisan lean in Texas congressional districts held by Republicans, from the current map to the first draft plan proposed by the Texas Legislature

District Partisan lean GOP Incumbent Old New Old New Change Beth Van Duyne TX-24 TX-24 R+3.5 R+22.3 R+18.8 Dan Crenshaw TX-02 TX-38 R+9.1 R+26.6 R+17.6 John Carter TX-31 TX-31 R+11.2 R+27.3 R+16.1 Roger Williams TX-25 TX-25 R+16.4 R+31.8 R+15.4 Troy Nehls TX-22 TX-22 R+8.3 R+23.7 R+15.3 Michael McCaul TX-10 TX-10 R+9.2 R+24.5 R+15.2 Chip Roy TX-21 TX-21 R+10.2 R+24.5 R+14.2 Van Taylor TX-03 TX-03 R+10.5 R+23.6 R+13.0 Randy Weber TX-14 TX-14 R+24.6 R+35.3 R+10.6 Jake Ellzey TX-06 TX-06 R+11.2 R+21.0 R+9.8 Pete Sessions TX-17 TX-17 R+18.2 R+26.2 R+7.9 Tony Gonzales TX-23 TX-23 R+5.1 R+12.8 R+7.7 Michael Burgess TX-26 TX-26 R+23.3 R+26.4 R+3.0 Jodey Arrington TX-19 TX-19 R+52.1 R+53.3 R+1.3 Louie Gohmert TX-01 TX-01 R+50.3 R+49.9 D+0.4 Michael Cloud TX-27 TX-27 R+28.8 R+27.8 D+1 Lance Gooden TX-05 TX-05 R+29.8 R+27.0 D+2.8 Kay Granger TX-12 TX-12 R+30.2 R+24.3 D+5.9 Brian Babin TX-36 TX-36 R+50.7 R+34.9 D+15.8 Kevin Brady* TX-08 TX-02 R+49.7 R+29.9 D+19.8 Ronny Jackson TX-13 TX-13 R+65.9 R+45.1 D+20.8 August Pfluger TX-11 TX-11 R+64.3 R+41.0 D+23.3 Pat Fallon TX-04 TX-04 R+56.3 R+29.7 D+26.7

*Incumbent is retiring.

Incumbents were placed in the district that contains the largest population share of their old district. They may not necessarily seek reelection in that district.

Partisan lean is the average margin difference between how a state or district votes and how the country votes overall. This version of partisan lean, meant to be used for congressional and gubernatorial elections, is calculated as 50 percent the state or district’s lean relative to the nation in the most recent presidential election, 25 percent its relative lean in the second-most-recent presidential election and 25 percent a custom state-legislative lean.

Given that the GOP controls the redistricting process in Texas, it might seem strange that it wasn’t more aggressive in trying to flip a seat or two held by Democrats. But population growth and demographic shifts in Texas have arguably benefited Democrats so significantly that Republican mapmakers were mostly left playing defense — concerned that some GOP incumbents might soon become vulnerable.

At the top of that list is Rep. Beth Van Duyne, the only Texas Republican defending a seat that President Biden carried in 2020. The new map lines, however, would shift Van Duyne’s district between Dallas and Fort Worth nearly 20 points to the right, meaning that she likely has far more to worry about in a primary than in a general election now after winning by only 1.3 points last November.

Three other Republican incumbents in seats that were less than R+10 also saw their districts move at least 15 points to the right. Rep. Dan Crenshaw ranks among these members, although it’s not clear which seat he may run in: About one-third of his current district is in the new 38th District, but the same is true of the new 2nd District, too, which may also be open, considering Rep. Kevin Brady of the current 8th District is retiring. Either way, Crenshaw — a rising star in the GOP — would be far safer than he is now. 

Rep. Tony Gonzales of the 23rd District is the only Republican incumbent who wouldn’t end up in a seat that’s at least R+20, but his perennial battleground district would be reforged into a relative GOP stronghold: His district would be R+13 under the new lines. Like Van Duyne, Gonzalez would breathe far easier under this new map, after he only won by 4 points in 2020.

In order to make many of these seats safer for Republicans, GOP lawmakers moved more Democratic voters into seats that the GOP had previously targeted but now seem to have abandoned. For example, the seat held by Democrat Lizzie Fletcher, who unseated a Republican incumbent in 2018, would go from D+1 to D+25. Meanwhile, the Dallas-area seat represented by Democrat Colin Allred, who similarly ousted a Republican incumbent in 2018, would go from D+2 to D+25. It’s a similar story for almost every other Texas Democrat under this plan. (In some instances, Republican mapmakers also made some super-red seats a slightly paler shade, “unpacking” some GOP voters to boost Republican-held seats. For instance, Rep. Van Taylor’s 3rd District outside of Dallas shifted east to take some red turf from Rep. Pat Fallon’s 4th District.)

One of the biggest takeaways from this map is that almost every seat — Democratic or Republican — would be uncompetitive at its baseline. All but two seats would lean at least 10 points more Democratic or Republican than the country as a whole. 

And it’s heavily Hispanic South Texas that holds both of those exceptions. This is a potentially important development as that region might hold opportunities for the GOP since Biden performed worse there than past Democratic presidential candidates. Most notably, the 15th District, represented by Democrat Vicente Gonzalez, would become more Republican-leaning on the new map. He was already facing a difficult reelection bid, as he narrowly won his 2020 race by 3 percentage points after winning reelection by 21 points in 2018. But now under the new map, his district would go from D+2 to evenly split. Meanwhile, Rep. Henry Cuellar’s 28th District would actually become slightly bluer — it only moved from D+4 to D+7 — and could be in play in 2022. (Rep. Filemon Vela’s 34th District doesn’t fall neatly into this category because it went from D+5 to D+17, but it is the other border seat in Texas, and it seems to have gotten a little friendlier toward Democrats, although Vela won’t seek reelection.) 

Another notable change under the new map is that it would result in a smaller share of districts with Hispanic majorities despite the addition of two new congressional districts. This could make the map vulnerable to a racial gerrymandering lawsuit considering Texas’s Hispanic population has driven the bulk of Texas’s population growth since 2010. According to census data, the current congressional map included 18 districts with white majorities and nine with Hispanic majorities. But the newly proposed map doesn’t give Hispanic voters any more clout: There are now 19 districts that have white majorities and still nine districts with Hispanic majorities, based on the voting age population.

This is only the first draft of Texas’s new congressional map, so it could still change before it’s passed by the GOP-controlled legislature. The Senate Redistricting Committee is expected to take up the congressional map on Thursday. But remember the GOP ultimately controls the redistricting process in Texas. That said, past congressional maps proposed by Texas lawmakers have been endlessly litigated — and it’s possible that could happen again this time around.

[monochromemedic]

Funhouse Murder Party Part 2

Silas tapped his spoon against the table cloth, waiting for the plates to be spread around and food to be served as he gave a little sip of his water, taking notice of everyone at the table.  There was him, Fallon, Dom. Damien at the head of the table, sipping his champagne and laughing softly at his own jokes.  The red dress woman with long brown hair who he talked to a bit, learning her name was Emily. The ‘black widow’, Heather. A man who was heavily plastered already and must have butt chugged some hard stuff get this drunk so quick, Steven. And lastly the man that dressed less fancy then all of them, Brian. As they waited for their food they had all gone around the table, giving a little introduction, giving the names that would probably be yelled at later that they were indeed the murderer as they tried to solve the case,phones were stripped off of peoples persons  for ‘immersion sake’, to which a few people groaned at the thought of parting with their phones. The Bartender could only nod, telling the guests that their phones would be in safe hands and put somewhere safe for after the show. The bartender came over with plates of steak and began to pass it around, earning thank yous and ‘finallys’ from the group as they began to dig in.  Silas tried to speak, giving small conversation and occasionally looking to his friends to see how they were doing. Fallon eyed everyone and everything, looking... honestly the most suspicious person in the room. If Silas didn’t know his plan and how totally into it he was he would have thought he was high or something.  Dominic on the other hand was uneasy, poking at his peas with a fork and giving the subtlest of sighs before downing the rest of his glass. They all knew Dom wasn’t one for this sort of events, but Silas was happy to see him here anyway. He always respected Dom, he just wished he was more lively and less bland. He needed hobbies or to get out more...talk to people. “So... Silas was it? That’s a pretty name for a pretty looking man.” The grocers attention turned to the woman in red, flashing a bright smile from behind her muted matte lipstick. “Uh I mean. It’s a name that’s for sure. I’m just happy you can pronounce it.” He laughed, instantly forgetting the fact that the woman called him handsome not 4 seconds ago. Emily giggled softly, swirling around the drink in her glass, some fancy wine that was passed out that was apparently a good year. “Oh i’ve very good with my tongue. Perhaps I could pronounce a few other things if we find some alone time during this game.” A burning heat crossed Silas’ cheeks as she spoke, adjusting his sleeves and giving a breathy laugh. “Are... you hitting on me?” “That depends if your single or not.” He went to answer only to hear the familiar champagne glass be hit with the back of a spoon, making everyone's head twist to the host in unison. “I don’t mean to interrupt the pleasantries but, as the night wears on i’d just like to thank you all for coming  once again. Your company has been greatly appreciated, and without you all to support me, i’d never be the man I am today. I’ve had my flaws, my down falls and my hurdles; but through it all the hands of the less fortunate has elevated me to a place of privilege. And for that i’d like to make a toast.” There was a pause as he raised his glass, the others getting the idea and raising their own. “To the common man. May we all experience the fruits of labor and be merry!” At the moment the last syllable left his throat the lights cut out, earning a few nervous gasps before changing to embarrassed laughs at their foolishness. Silas nearly jumped out of his skin a second time as Fallon beat on his arm, his grip tightening around his friend as he began to speak. “This is it. Oh this is it baby the moment of truth the murder it’s starting!” The room was fairly quiet, the sound of whispers and gentle clinking of silverware. The only thing that was odd but too be expected from a staged performance was the soft clicking of foot steps moving around the room. Even knowing that it was an actor didn’t help the slight uneasiness of knowing that someone was moving in the dark, just behind him, towards Damien. And that’s when the gunshot rang out. At least that’s what it sounded like. Silas had only heard them in movies or shows, nothing quite so loud and thunderous that made him scream and cover his ears as they rang. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness, darting around nervously a of the preformance. As Silas’s hearing finally began to come back to him he heard the quiet sounds of whispers among the others, some talking about how loud it was, others saying how the lights still weren’t turning on.  He could hear the woman in red’s voice complaining about how her ear drums were probably blasted to all hell. They waited. And waited.  Dominic raised his voice a bit from the crowd, a little waver noticeable in his tone. “Aren’t the lights suppose to turn on eventually?” Another moment of silence before they finally flickered on.  Silas had to cover his eyes for a bit, the lights seemed almost stage like in brightness. But as his eyes did adjust, the sound of screams began to fill the air. Chairs pushed back, the sound of retching from  the other side of the table. As the lights turned on what once was Damien or... whatever the actor’s real name was, head had been blasted apart like a balloon filled with watermelon chunks. His body, slumped on the table and the paste that was his head littered the plates and clothes of the people closest to him. That being Silas, the woman in red, Fallon and the drunk man. His blood was cold at the sight and just as he too got up from his seat with shaky knees and clammy hands Fallon began to nervously laugh. All eyes turned to Fallon as he stood up, and began to walk to Damien’s body, his smile uncertain. “W...wow these are some... good special effects no wonder the lights have been off for so long. Hell of a set up, this is some professional grade shit!” “What are you crazy? That’s not special effects you hipster trash, that’s a real body! I mean look at it, it’s bleeding still!” The black widow yelled before turning her head and trying to not look at the display of gore presented before her. “Well that’s what they want you to think, I mean this is a game after all right? I mean if it was just some stuffed dummy it would take you right out. Immersion just like the phones... right?” Fallon’s head turned to the bartender, who looked just as alarmed as the rest of them before a few tears ran down his face and he began to throw up against the wallpaper. Fallon’s face dropped as the screams and shouts began to fill the air again, his gaze slowly looking back at the body before stumbling back and falling to the ground, completion completely white. “Ok everyone just... stay calm, we can’t be in a state of panic while this happens. Obviously some sort of tragedy has happened, what we need to do is call the police and stay together.” Dom called out over the shrieks and sounds of bile hitting the floor. “And what get our phones from where? Where the hell did they keep em huh? Do you know big guy? Do you wanna go out there and find them and risk getting your head blown off too? Cause I sure as hell don’t!” The drunk man yelled, body shaking as he looked around the room, staring down at the bartender who was just recovering. “You, where are the phones?” “H...he.... christ Frank I can’t... you can’t be gone you can’t-”  “Tell us where the fucking phones are or so help me god-” The drunk man roared as he charged at the bartender, grabbing his puke stained shirt and lifting him from the ground. “The-the storage room it’s in the storage room! Fuck!” He dropped the bartender back down on the ground, wiping his hands on his pants before looking back to the others. “There you hear that? You want your phones you can go get them from the storage room big man. Out there with a killer that can give you a hole in your head. Now do you wanna go do that?” Dom’s eyes looked at the corpse before he closed them tightly, as if trying to push the image of it from his head. “No I... don’t but we need to do something. We either grab the phones or we leave and try to flag someone down that does have one. We need to make a choice and we need to do it now.” The bartender spoke up, voice nervous. “Actually we can’t... leave. The keys to the place are in the storage room for the phones, We look the place up unless there’s emergencies, for... immersion sake.” “Yeah i’m feeling real immersed! So immersed I got chunks of brain on my dress.” The black widow cried out, mascara running down her cheeks as she tried desperately not to panic but failing. “Well then we have to go get the keys. We get the keys, we get the phone, we call the cops and we run off to a nearby place and wait for the murderer to be found.” Dom explained, “We don’t have much of  a choice.” “Unless one of us is the murder. Then we could just be giving them a get a jail free card and we could let them run away. Or pin the blame on someone else.” Fallon piped up, voice shakey. “I mean... it’d be perfect wouldn’t it. Perfect plan, be ironic of course but... not unrealistic.” The room grew silent, eyes now turning into suspicious glares as people began to judge each other motives.  “Then... if that’s the case we should... make sure whoever did it stays here so the police get them right? We all just sit together and wait? What if they do it again what if they kill someone else? No I can’t I just-” The woman in red began to cry before fleeing off into the mansion, the sound of heels on tile slowly echoing. The others began to look at each other nervously  before the black widow did the same, and so did the drunken man. Silas couldn’t help it, the sight of everyone running, overcome but the sight of gore and blood, his own blood was running and soon his legs were too. This was all just a bad dream, and he’d wake up. He didn’t want to be killed, he didn’t want to be shot. And the only way for him not to get shot was to get the hell out of there and find the bastard that did it.  But as he ran through the halls and rooms of the place, his pace began to slow as he realized he had no idea where the storage closet was.  And now he was far away from where the only person that knew it was. Alone in the mansion, where others were also scattered, one of them with blood on their hands.

[party-of-rpg-muses]

A Look At Stuff You Probably Never Heard Of: Doogal

Oh boy... I’ve had this one the backburner for a while... Well, now is the time to talk about this movie. Today, we’ll be taking a look at... Doogal!

This movie is actually a French-British computer-animated movie initially released February 2nd, 2005 in France, where it was known as “Pollux - Le manège enchanté”. It was later released in the UK 8 days later, titled “The Magic Roundabout”. It later saw a later release in America on February 26th of the next year as “Doogal”. Despite the movie already being released in English beforehand, it was completely redubbed with an entirely new cast and new script when brought over to America. We’re mostly going to be looking at the American version, with occasional mentions of the other two.

On a normal day, Doogal (known as Pollux in French and Dougal in the UK) (voiced by Henri Salvador (French), Robbie Williams (UK), Daniel Tay (US)) pops the tire of a candy cart. While the driver goes to get help, Dougal volunteers to watch the sweets, only to start eating them for himself, only to accidentally cause the cart to start moving, resulting in the cart crashing into the merry-go-round at the center of town. This causes the merry-go-round to go haywire, releasing an evil wizard known as Zeebad (Zabadie in the French version) (voiced by Michel Galabru (French), Tom Baker (UK), Jon Stewart (US)), who was imprisoned inside. It then freezes over, trapping the repairman, two children, and Doogal’s owner, Florence, inside. The good wizard, Zebedee, tells Doogal that Zeebad must be stopped. But in order to do so, 3 magic diamonds must be found to imprison Zeebad once again. With help from Brian the Snail (Dany Boon (French), Jim Broadbent (UK), William H. Macy (US)), Ermintrude the Cow (Valérie Lemercier (French), Joanna Lumley (UK), Whoopi Goldberg (US), and Dylan the Rabbit (Eddy Mitchell (French), Bill Nighy (UK), Jimmy Fallon (US)), they set out to find the diamonds before Zeebad.

When the movie was brought to America, the script was heavily altered. The most notable thing being the addition of jokes and pop culture references for no reason, other than just making a reference. Perhaps the most notable being when the group is beset by evil skeleton guards, all of who start making references to Thriller, Disney/Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Shining, just to name a few.

And now, the time has come for my Final Recommendation: Never Let Go Of It||Get It||Hold Onto It||Try It||Consider It||Stay Away From It

I won’t lie, the movie (or at least the American version) is horrible. It suffers from almost nonstop pop culture references that don’t amount to anything. And they kinda hamfist celebrity names into the movie. It’s worth noting that Bill Hader, Judi Dench, Chevy Chase, and Kevin Smith also provide voices. And the script was written by Butch Hartman (yes, THAT Butch Hartman). Though his initial script was apparently more faithful, simply being more appropriate for American audiences, only for it to be rejected by Harvey Weinstein. After several rewrites, the one that contained pop culture humor and fart jokes were accepted with only 3% of his original versions making it to the final product.

The farting is especially apparent with the Moose, which shows up on occasion. While it doesn’t speak at all in the French and British version, its voiced by Kevin Smith, mostly rambling and making farting noises. There was also a Narrator (voiced by Judi Dench), which also wasn’t in the other versions. Although, one thing I’d like to mention is that the only ones who retained their voices between the UK and US versions are Florence (voiced by Kylie Minogue) and Zebedee (voiced by Ian McKellen). Though Kylie Minogue had to re-record all of her lines with an American accent. I also want to mention that many things were cut or simply shortened from the original movie.

Honestly, the idea of re-recording the movie isn’t a terrible idea, especially if the most that was done was changing British terms to American terms, such as changing “roundabout” to “merry-go-round” or “carousel”, which is what happened in the movie.

Well now that that’s all finished, I’ll see you guys next month where I take a look at a TV movie that served not only as the finale to a series, but gave one of the main characters a whole new level of depth with a bittersweet ending. I’ll see you then.

[newleafover]

Quarantine Tag Game

Ooh how fun! Thanks @haztobegood!

Are you staying home from work/ school? I can’t work as a massage therapist right now, so yes!

Who is at home with you? My wife, our 4 cats, 2 dogs, and the 2 outdoor cats too.

Are you a homebody? Yesssssss

Any event you were looking forward to that got cancelled? Weirdly, I’m most sad about my graduation being cancelled, even though I probably wasn’t going to attend. I didn’t attend my undergrad commencement, and my high school graduation ceremony had 8 people, so I kind of like the idea of finally celebrating my silly academic achievements. Ah, well. 

What movies have you been watching recently? Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies??? We just get in these rewatch grooves sometimes. For nostalgia’s sake.

What are you doing for selfcare? Things that feel productive for my body and my brain, like yoga, baking, gardening. These are the things I moved to the country to do more of, so the timing is working out nicely.

What shows are you watching? Xena: Warrior Princess!

What music have you been listening to? Depeche Mode, Natalie Merchant, Brian Fallon, First Aid Kit. I actually really enjoyed listening to Tiger Army again recently. 

What books are you reading? A bunch of reference texts on gardening, pest control, and DIY stuff!

I’ll tag @jlf23tumble @silverfoxlouis @vibey-lesbian @kerasines @netflixromcoms @cupcakentea @fragile-vampire

[loudlytransparenttrash]

What are your thoughts on Charlottesville? I've heard a lot of conflicting stories and am kinda lost on what to believe about it

Hi :) A little group of alt-right idiots gathered last year and it’s now all the evidence we need to prove that America is overrun with Nazis and it’s all thanks to our Hitler president. But what most deliberately leave out is they weren’t the only people there. The whole point of the first rally was to protest the removal of a monument. They wanted the story to be this: Everyone there opposed to tearing down the monument were literal Nazis so the violent attacks on anyone in a MAGA hat is justified. Brian Fallon and Chris Cuomo even compared Antifa macing people and throwing bricks and cherry bombs to the brave Americans soldiers who stormed Normandy to fight Nazis on D-Day. Find me a single person on the right, any conservative who hasn’t condemned and disavowed the racists who attended the protest. To lump anyone against tearing down the monuments in with the faction of white supremacists is why so many melted down when Trump said there were fine people on both sides. They became even more hysterical when Trump said both sides engaged in violence.

CNN cried in enormous font on its front page “He still blames both sides!” The New York Times blared that Trump “again blames both sides.” So did the Chicago Tribune. So did NBC News. So did U.S. News while calling Trump insane. So did NPR. So did CBS News. So did the Washington Post. So did the Wall Street Journal. So did Time. So did MSNBC. NBC News later wondered: “Has Trump Lost His Moral Authority for Good?” CNN continued with the massive headlines, calling Trump’s press conference “a meltdown for the ages,” and declared: “Trump is who we feared he was” and “Donald Trump’s presidency is headed to a very dark place.” Vox claimed Trump “is offering comfort to racists and extremists.” The president has become “completely unhinged” Jimmy Kimmel told his viewers afterwards. He had just canceled all their scheduled programming to focus on the president “finally showing the world the racist he is.” This is a day after Jimmy Fallon did basically the same thing and asked America how to “explain this to his daughters.” The Atlantic wrote “Trump Defends White-Nationalist Protesters.” Kat Timpf was on the verge of tears as she stressed, “I’m wondering if it was real life.“

It’s funny how they all failed to leave these words by Trump out: “Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans. Those who spread violence in the name of bigotry strike at the very core of America. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence. The driver of the car is a disgrace to himself, his family and this country. You can call it terrorism. The driver of the car is a murderer. What he did was a horrible, horrible, inexcusable thing.” So this is proof he’s a racist who offers comfort to racists and extremists? Just because he didn’t turn what happened into a racebating lecture to all white people about the dangers of their whiteness as the left insisted him to, it doesn’t mean that he failed to condemn racism and it sure as hell doesn’t mean that he supports it. The left went into meltdown mode because he told the truth of what happened in Charlottesville.

We are supposed to see it as outrageous and morally abhorrent that Trump would claim that “there is blame on both sides.” The thing is, Trump was telling the truth. The violence that occurred throughout the downtown area was committed by both sides. Even the Charlottesville police chief affirmed that the protest saw mutually combative individuals on both sides. Is the black police chief a racist guilty of comforting extremists as well? It is not unreasonable to blame “both sides” that day. Yes there were some people there who we have every reason to hate, but the left-wing protesters had zero intentions of a peaceful counter-protest of “passive resistance,” they didn’t show up to practice civil rights-style non-violent activism. They were armed, they had fighting and violence on their mind and there is unequivocal testimony and footage proving that they committed widespread unprovoked violence that day.

Refuse Fascism was among the left-wing groups at the Charlottesville rally and urged violence against the Trump supporters there. Another anarchist group that was there, CrimethInc, said “We must identify the forces underlying their laws and their order. Patriarchy, policing, capitalism, and the state. We have to work together to reimagine the world without them. We need to make this country ungovernable.” They declared “We need to do what the German people should have done when Hitler was elected.” Another far-left group there was the Workers World Party, a group of marxists who have declared their support for Kim Jong Un’s dictatorship in North Korea and have has consistently published propaganda-like screeds supporting Venezuela’s regime. The communist group “sent many of its members to beat up those who marched there.” The same group took credit for organizing the vandals who toppled a city-owned Confederate statue in Durham, North Carolina a week earlier.

These are the nutjobs, along with hoards of Antifa, who are defended and honored as the anti-racist heroes. We can make a point of condemning the alt-right without justifying the continuous violence and rioting of ISIS-wanna-be thugs. By equating them to the Americans of D-Day or saying they just “stand up to hate,” all we’re doing is green-lighting more political violence under the disguise of tolerance and love. We need to condemn all political violence, the extreme ends of both sides are just as repulsive and dangerous as each other. We can all agree that the racists who attended were bad people who deserved to be counter-protested. The one moron carrying a Nazi flag deserved to be yelled at. But why did the counter-protesters start such raging violence against everyone there? Why did they start to block, swarm and beat on cars driving by? The tragic outcome wouldn’t have happened if a few racists didn’t show up, that’s very true. But it’s also true it wouldn’t have happened if the left-wing mobs didn’t turn the event into a massive violent, chaotic battle zone.

Even after the tragedy of last year, a few days ago the mobs still thought it was a good idea this time around to again swarm cars and threaten drivers. The town went into lockdown for its anniversary and in the days beforehand, according to Charlottesville’s Daily Progress, “reports surfaced from concerned citizens believed they saw persons resembling Nazis and white supremacists in locations from office supply stores to coffee shops.” Did you see how many people showed up for the rally? About eight. It’s funny how little Nazis there are when you don’t include every American who supports Trump or is opposed to tearing down all our Civil War monuments.

Projecting support of Nazis onto a person who you disagree with to force them to defend themselves, prove they’re not a Nazi sympathizer and disavow an already globally disavowed and despised group is a sneaky leftist tactic that is used against everyone from the president to any conservative with a voice. The groupthink of the left is if you believe someone is a Nazi, aka, someone you don’t like, it’s totally cool to just beat them up and it will be glorified by the liberal media as “fighting racism.” Conservatives are accused of violence for merely speaking, yet when there’s actual real violence right in front of us, we get silence because it’s not from the right people. Just as there’s been total silence on every left-wing riot over the past two years.

We’re all supposed to pretend Trump said something racist after Charlottesville. He spoke out against racism, he blasted the alt-right for their role in the violence and he warned against all political violence. If it were just an average person saying what Trump said, we’d all say ‘duh.’ There’s nothing controversial about what he said, only the fact that it came from a guy who people are so desperate to delegitimize and call a white supremacist. Now Charlottesville is used to shame and silence anyone on the right as evidence of what conservative ideals and policies lead to, just as they use the myth of “caged kids” to turn as many people as they can away from voting Republican again. That’s just my take, obviously there were racists there, but like it or not they did have a permit to be there, and most people clearly had nothing to do with these few idiots and were only there to oppose the statue from being torn down. The narrative that everyone not on Antifa’s side were Nazis and were the ones to spark the violence is a deliberate lie to hold conservatives accountable for the actions of one criminal. I hope that’s helped a little, if not please feel free to message me with specifics :) xx

[mattyslittleworld]

Snowbirds & Townies

1:42 am / Tick Tock Diner 34th & 8th Ave New York City. I don’t know what keeps bringing me back here. I was in Hoboken and grabbed my skateboard and hopped the path into the 9th street station in Manhattan. As soon as I got above ground it was snowing. Blizzard shit. I skated in the snow over to Union Square to see the punks but it was ghost. So from there I got lost in my headphones and skated all the way up 20 streets to 34th. The most free I’ve felt in awhile. I want to be so far from music. So far from anything and anybody I’ve ever known. It felt like I was a different person. Music isolates me, especially now, and it leaves me depressed and alone. During these dark lows I would stay at Bepa’s and talk to him in the kitchen over coffee and then hop the train to the ferry - into manhattan and get lost in a fake identity. Be whoever I want. Start over just for a little. But here I am, again. At the same diner that I lived above before I started touring heavy as a kid. Right before I took my first swing. The same closet sized room I’d leave late night and meet all my friends and just run wild in the city spray painting, skating, and terrorizing. But secretly deep down, hurting. Wanting something more. Edge of offing myself. Wanting companionship. Wanting love. Wanting to get the fuck out. Wanting everything I have now - and will have. I’m back here only difference is I worked with Cage. I sang for Shai Hulud, I’ve gained the respect and shared the stage with everyone I looked up to, I toured 14 countries, I worked with every top respectable rapper from the east coast, I’ve sold out shows, I released the album I wrote here, I did a song and video with Danny Clinch, I did a song with Jesse Malin, I played with HR from Bad Brains, ive played a sold out show at The Stone Pony (without an album), ive played a sold out show at The Bowery Ballroom, ive sang Clash songs with Brian Fallon and Craig from The Hold Steady  - I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do sitting in that room. I fell in love then out of love then back in love with my high school crush. I’ve been heart broken. Shooting the music video with Danny Clinch was intense for me. He’s become my bro and I’m mad grateful for his friendship, but damn was that wild. I was on a 3 day run. I hung out with a beautiful lady and passed out in my jeans after she stuffed my face with orange soda and candy and made me watch Ryan Gosling fuck a doll. I stayed up till like 5 am. Woke up in my clothes at like 7 am two hours later. Had the video shoot at noon and I was mad far from my house. Woke up shot up north with my Dunkin and picked up Rob. SOOOOO TIRED and sick from the soda and candy. Changed real quick and went to the studio where we shot the video. We set up the scene for 2 hours and got angles and then Danny got there and I’m tipping over tired and flustered from this pretty girl. We shot for a half hour then took a break and I was nodding off on the floor during the break. Came back and killed off the video by a piano. After that me and Rob were mind blown over this goal being accomplished. Gratitude isn’t even the word. Next day I get hit by Tsu Surf with a time and place for a session last minute so me and rob drop our shit and shoot over and bang out this hit song that’s got a summer vibe that I made off the influence of this pretty girl. He killed it. I’m an actual fan of him so it was mad cool we could get in the room together and knock this out. That was the first time ive ever collabed in a “Industry” setting where its all bout business - very corporate. I had to adjust to that environment and put a suit on. Times like those make you realize your love for music, your passion, and your “art” simply just don't matter. These managers and shit just don't give a fuck about your grandpa dying and the song you made out of it, or the girl you love and the song you made out of it - they're like yeah fuck yourself lets get money - and you have to jump in or jump out. I jumped in and learned my place. It’s wild to think of what he’s been through over the past few years. Getting out of prison for attempted murder then getting lit up 5 times, surviving, and then while you’re healing you make a tape and it goes up the charts to number 2 in a day, unsigned. Mad funny seeing local level bands desperate to get signed - they don't even know what that means now. My pleasure to work my man, I salute you with honor and respect. After that session I went home and took a week off, after non stop grinding for the past 2 years. The Danny Clinch video shoot right into the Tsu Surf session killed me off. In Surfs studio I couldn’t even keep my head up. I’m so burnt out. What am I searching for here at this diner? What is my soul lacking? What is my heart lacking? I spend many nights here alone, staring out this window drinking coffee. Missing Bepa. Missing people. Missing a certain time of my life when everything was free. But not in a I need to get a life and move on kind of way. It’s not pathetic. I have moved on. I did get a life. I did pretty damn good on my own. I got it from the mud. So why look back? It’s hard for me to mix my social personal life with people I know from music. They don’t know the memories I have, they don’t give a shit. They don’t know anything about me. They don’t want to find that liberating freedom that I am searching for when I come to this diner - that I had when I lived here. I still don't want to get drunk or high. I don't want to watch you get drunk. You could be sober and grinding with a clear head. I want to spend time with people like that. Gorilla promotion. Animalistic work ethic. The snow is coming down fierce and I gotta skate back to the path to go back to Hoboken, then drive all the way home. I won’t be home for awhile. Hopefully till the sun comes up. I want to be lost. I want to be gone. I want to be bliss. I want to walk into this pharmacy across the street again and get cherry coke 12ozs and just sit on my bed and watch blacklisted videos on YouTube. I want to go to pen station and grab a soda and a magazine and take the LIRR to a hardcore show and not get home till the next morning. Strung out after a night of fucking mayhem and laughing. Love, friends, and just fucking beauty. We can still be beautiful. After the money - you can still be whoever the fuck you want. Let’s be beautiful and reckless and never sleep. I love my life. I hate my life. I’m happy. I’m depressed. I want to live. I want to die. I am alive. I am dead. Now on the train back home, braved the blizzard. I noticed a void in how music has been touching me lately. Anything hip hop related seemed stale. Any Americana or folk seemed dead and expired. Rock n roll boring. Even heavy hardcore was horrible. I ended up in a wormhole of bands like Thursday and From Autumn To Ashes. Poison The Well, even weirdo shit like It Dies Today. Folly really hit me hard. I have specific memories to these records and they’re so beautiful and god damn I miss these people. Being in middle school and debating the differences between FATA and PTW. As I’m typing this I just got noticed on the path train for music and they complemented my shattered realm hoodie and I showed him I was listening to from first to last and he died laughing. He said he heard my career was “bumping” and I’m sitting here soaking wet freezing and hungry on a train in all black curled up in a ball around my skateboard. Emily by FFTL is the best song ever written. Even better than Bob Dylan. Fight me. 

[jennygoeseastbay]

2018 in Review

So I used to do one of these every year on my Livejournal, and I completely blew it off in 2017 because I kind of abandoned that medium, and because the last month of that year was complete consumed with packing and moving. I’m not entirely certain I want to get more active on here, but for now this is a good place for me to post this, simply to have the written record of my existence that I need in order to process all that has happened and reflect on how it has helped me to grow and improve as a person. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I might even backtrack and do one for 2017 next week, because I like to be complete in my self-documentation. ;)

01. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before? Visited Washington DC for the first time.

Visited the Los Cabos region of Mexico for the first time.

Closed a major gift from someone who had not already had decades of cultivation from their University.

Visited even more areas of California that were new to me, including Anaheim, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Pismo Beach, Paso Robles, and Lake Tahoe (I guess that also includes Nevada since we stayed in Carson City)

Visited Ashland Oregon for the first time.

Sold a piece of real estate. Phew!

Practiced Yin Yoga. (And walking meditation!)

Engaged in a yoga hike!

Also tried yoga with goats!

Attended WonderCon

Attended a county fair.

Road a bicycle somewhere other than a residential street

Tried kayaking

Ran a trail run race

02. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I never really make concrete resolutions, just some general proclamations about eating better, and putting more time into fitness and writing. Of these three things, the one I was most successful at this year, surprisingly enough, was eating better. In September I realized that it was time for a physical tune-up, and so I rejoined WW after a long time away, and though I still have a few pounds to go, I’ve been happy to have gotten a bit sleeker after dialing back the bread and cheese. I also attended a writing group called Shut Up and Write a couple times, and I’d like to become more of a regular at their cafe sessions in 2019, because I’ve found that their method (literally a concentrated hour of shutting up and writing) has been helpful the two times I’ve gone.

03. Did anyone close to you give birth? My dear friends Drew and Kelly had their first child in September. And my friend Lynn had her second child, a little girl, just a couple weeks ago. 04. Did anyone close to you die? Not super close, but a professor at UC Davis who I had worked with closely, passed very unexpectedly right before Halloween. 05. What countries did you visit? Mexico! Finally broke in my current passport with a new stamp! 06. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018? Good novel progress. Or more discipline on some other fiction and an essay that I just started tinkering with. A legit boyfriend. 07. What date(s) from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 2 was my first day on the job at UC Davis.

January 7 was a super fun evening at the Museum of Ice Cream in SF

January 13-15 was a wonderful weekend in Seattle where I got to meet my nephew Apollo for the first time and photograph his first swimming lesson for his parents.

January 20 was my second Women’s March outing in Sac with my friend Jade and her little ones.

January 27 was a day when I got to play tour guide for my friend Gricel and her husband when they were in SF visiting for the first time.

Feb. 10 and 11 was a fun weekend in Berkeley and SF, being silly and singing loudly with my former Cal colleagues who had become dear friends.

March 23-25 Was my whirlwind Anaheim weekend at Wondercon, and I got to catch up with my friend Mike, whom I’d not seen in a couple years.

March 30-April 1 was an epic road trip weekend, the first of what my friend Maya and I now call our Girls Gone Sensibly Wild excursions. We drove to Santa Barbara and visited the deserted UC campus there (it was closed for spring break) and also enjoyed an amazing live show featuring Dave Hause, Dan Andriano, and Cory Branan, among others at the Cold Spring Tavern. And then got a joint membership at Peachy Canyon Winery on our way back, because it was one of the few establishments open on Easter Sunday.

April 22 was Earth Day, and prompted me to venture out to Marin for an impromptu yoga hike at Rodeo Beach.

May 14 was my first appointment with a new hair stylist who would also unexpectedly become a trusted friend.

May 24 was my first time seeing Depeche Mode live, and it was incredible.

June 8-10 was my second of two hit it and quit it Chicago trips (although really, the first one wasn’t so much Chicago as it was Joliet) this year, and allowed me to reconnect with my dear friends Drew and Kelly (Drew finished his PhD at UChicago and I attended his commencement and hooding), have a day at the zoo with my friend Dawn, and also road trip to WI with my friend Mary for a beautiful and moving Lights Festival experience together.

June 30 was the day I attended my first ever CalShakes performance with Maya and our mutual friend Paola (Girls Gone Sensibly Wild continued!), and Maya also got me on a bike for the first time in ages, thanks to LimeBikes being available at the Pleasant Hill BART station. We took a short, wobbly, but fun ride down the Iron Horse Trail.

July 1 was the day I learned to kayak and surprisingly got myself through 5 miles of the Russian River without tipping over or running out of steam.

July 26 saw me reuniting with my dear pals Shannon and Glenn, when they were visiting the Sac area for a wedding.

July 27-29 was the weekend I drove up to Ashland to enjoy some time with my friend Debbie and to experience the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for the first time.

August 3-6 was when I somewhat unexpectedly had the delight of hosting my friend Clarise for a weekend visit. We drove down to Pacifica for the International Dog Surfing competition and I schooled her in the ways of California wine as much as I could with my limited knowledge.

The following weekend, August 9-13, I had a lovely time hosting and touring around with my 16 year old niece, and got to introduce her to the joy that is Santa Cruz. And yoga with goats!

August 30-Sept. 4 was when I hosted (this is a recurring theme in August, isn’t it?) my Aunt Sherrie for local sightseeing and a road trip up to Lake Tahoe.

Sept. 22-24 saw me heading down to L.A. for my cousin Katie’s wedding and some work meetings. It was the first time in ages that I got to connect with that specific branch of my family, and get to know them a bit better.

Sept. 29 was my first AFSP walk in Sac. And i was joined by Jade, her visiting mom, and her three little ones.

Sept. 30 was the really long hair session with Mason that helped solidify that we were legit friends (and included a shared sunset from the window of his hair studio!) and a quick follow up appointment on Oct. 3 allowed us to enjoy a rainbow and storm together.

Oct. 19-21 saw Maya and I doing another Girls Gone Sensibly Wild road trip. Back to Peachy Canyon to pick up some wine, and also Pismo Beach and Santa Maria for our first visit to a really lovely winery called Foxen.

Oct. 26 was quite possibly my all-time favorite Brian Fallon performance. It was just him alternating between his acoustic guitar and an electric piano, and he was joined by Craig Finn from The Hold Steady, who also did his own acoustic set.

Oct. 27 I got to introduce my new friend Torrey to the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, and we did a fun wine and Halloween candy pairing and some epic day drinking.

Nov. 3 saw me reuniting with my Cal crew and a sprinkling of East Bay friends at Fillmore Karaoke, for an epic night of loud singing as an early celebration of my 40th bday. So much wine. Actually too much, but for a birthday, that’s acceptable!

Nov. 4-6 I was in Indianapolis for work, and though the work part wasn’t particularly memorable, I was super honored and thrilled that my BFF Dawn drove all the way down from Joliet IL with her two boys to have dinner with me on my first night there.

Nov. 9 was an epic Local H show in Sac. Also a welcome break in the midst of a period of forced solitude, after the Camp Fire residual smoke prompted my whole office to work from home for about a week to protect us from the terrible air quality.

Nov. 18 was the day we had the beautiful service honoring the life of a beloved professor who passed.

Nov. 24-29 was my trip to Cabo with my Aunt Sherrie, and was also my official bday celebration.

Dec. 9-12 was my DC trip, which also allowed me to catch up with my friend Max, who lives in Baltimore, and my friend Stacey, who also happened to be there for her own work purposes.

Dec. 15 was my full day of yoga retreating at Green Gulch Ranch in Marin, and then I drove to the East Bay to catch up with Maya at Calicraft, which is one of our favorite craft distilleries in the area.

Dec. 16 was a white elephant celebration in Pleasant Hill that allowed me to unexpectedly meet a new, interesting friend.

08. What was your biggest achievement of the year? So far, meeting all expectations at my new job and closing a major gift earlier than is required. Also not losing my shit during the condo selling process, even though there were a lot of reasons to do so.

09. What was your biggest failure? I wrote VERY little fiction. But I did dip my toe back into writing in general, so I guess there’s that. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I took a tumble at home that left my tailbone a bit tender about a month ago. But otherwise, no, pretty healthy, even after getting rear-ended in my car! 11. What was the best thing you bought? Various travel tickets, both air and rail. A beautiful new necklace that I found at the holiday market in D.C. All the concert tickets that provided soul-fueling live music.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mine! I adjusted to a new job and an unfamiliar setting and managed to acquire a few new friends while also maintaining the East Bay friendships that meant the most to me. 13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Who else but certain immediate family members? 14. Where did most of your money go? Rent. Travel. Wine, and to a lesser extent, craft beer, now that I’ve picked up a taste for stouts and sours. 15. What song will always remind you of 2018?

Anything off of Sleepwalkers by Brian Fallon

Anything off of  Be More Kind by Frank Turner

Chariot by Gavin DeGraw

Tall Green Grass by Cory Branan

16. Compared to this time last year, you are: Thinner and sleeker, weight-wise

More willing to make room for others and open my life and space to them (friend and lover both) Still as sleep-deprived as ever 17. What do you wish you'd done more of? Novel writing, as always. Flirting. And kissing. 18. What do you wish you'd done less of? Angsting over adulting-related things that were either beyond my control or that ended up working out just as they should.

19. How will you be spending/did you spend Christmas?

I’m driving to Santa Cruz on Xmas Eve and treating myself to an overnight stay so that I can indulge in my happy place and a sunset hike. Also get to celebrate Boxing Day for the first time with my friend Jade and her brood back in Sac.

20. How will you be spending/did you spend New Year’s Eve? Original plan was to hang at my friend Jade’s place with her kids, movies and snacks. But just learned the wee ones are ill, so now I’m not sure what I’m doing. That was how I spent last year (the original plan, that is), with the main difference being that last year I also went to a two-hour yin workshop beforehand, which was how I discovered my current yoga studio, and discovered how much I enjoy yin practice in general. 21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No. But I made more effort to pursue it, and had more options than I think I’ve ever had in a single year. Which was kind of encouraging even if each one was relatively short-lived.

22. How many one-night stands? I always laugh when I read this question. How about I just wink knowingly and say a lady never tells? 23. What was your favorite TV program? Supernatural. iZombie. To a lesser extent, Riverdale, even though I’m still pretty behind on that one. Sons of Anarchy (which I know is old but I’m playing catchup via Netflix and Hulu) And as a guilty pleasure, Total Divas. And of course, I'm still casually following WWE on the WWE network, though the only thing I’m finding compelling aside from the women’s matches are the Brits featured on the UK specific programming. 24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No, I don't think so. 25. What was the best book you read? I finally got into the Harry Potter series and I’m really enjoying it. I just finished the Order of the Phoenix, and have the next installment requested from the library. 26. What was your greatest musical discovery? Not entirely new, but my appreciation for Cory Branan was reinforced and amplified after seeing him in Santa Barbara. And I’m also on a rediscovery tear with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Cold War Kids.

27. What did you want and get? Reassurance that this move to Sac was the right next step, after I settled in to my new role relatively easily. 28. What did you want and not get? Romantic love for an extended period. More down time. 29. What was your favorite film(s) of this year? Bohemian Rhapsody, even though I know it had some historical inaccuracies.

A Quiet Place was hard because of the ending, but decent as well.

And the latest Halloween was hella satisfying, especially since I caught it after needing an escape after learning about the passing of the professor I mentioned earlier.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I prepped for my Cabo departure, went exploring at the Cosumnes River Trail, which is also a bird sanctuary, and caught the movie Widows with my work friend Christine. Then she took me to Panera for dinner. Couldnt’ do much more than that since I had a 5 am flight the following morning. I turned 40.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Love, as always. 32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018? Activewear as much as possible. But never enough. 33. What kept you sane? My friends. The various trips I took and rock shows I attended. Junk food. Wandering in nature.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Jensen Ackles. Tom Hiddleston. Charlie Hunnan. Idris Elba. My taste doesn't change much. 35. Who did you miss? Dawn. Becca. Kelly and Drew. Stephanie and Scott. Rob. Elspeth. Mike K. Jason. 36. Who was the best new person you met?

Lu

Ellen

Mason

Torrey

Anthony

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018 Never underestimate my own ability to adapt to new situations, and to handle my own shit like a boss. I had a few challenging things thrown at me, namely the condo selling process, and the logistical gymnastics that followed after having to bring my car in for a bumper repair following a recent rear-ending, and though I felt tested by both of those situations, I ultimately succeeded at navigating both of them to a positive end.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I’m always starting over....

I don’t wanna waste the nights in my life

But I never fit in, or felt home in my skin.

I’m waiting on a big love, baby.

--Brian Fallon, “Her Majesty’s Service”

[slyke25]

2015

If you were to chart a graph of my happiness and passion for covering live music since the begging of this site in ‘09, it’d probably peak sometime in 2014, and 2015 would start the stow decline.  I now found myself pondering a question I wouldn’t be was possible many years earlier.  Is it possible to burn out on concerts?

I’ll dive into that question during my thoughts on 2016 (the end of my blog), but in 2015, I did manage to see some memorable shows.  I invite you to click on the bold print below for links to each of the 20 shows, where you’ll find photos, videos, and maybe even a few words.

These are just a handful of some of my favorite shows from 2015, and to see the full list of every show I covered in ‘15 (with links) click the ‘14-’16 archive here.

The Lone Bellow at the Paradise Rock Club (2.12.15) - These guys were visibly enjoying their success.  This ended up being a super fun show

Sturgill Simpson at the Paradise Rock Club (2.20.15) - This would be my first time seeing Sturgill live, and even though he was feeling under the weather, his performance exceeded my expectations, and he managed to crank out some killer jams.

Damien Rice at the Orpheum (4.7.15) - I remember when he released his album, O, back in ‘02.  I love that album, and it took me 13 years to see him. 

Sufjan Stevens Hartford, CT (4.12.15) - I’m a huge Sufjan Stevens fan, and even though I enjoyed The Age Of Adz (2010), I was patiently hoping for a new album similar to his earlier material.  On February 16, 2015, he shared the first single “No Shade In the Shadow of the Cross” from his upcoming album Carrie & Lowell, and I couldn’t have been happier.

Luckily, I managed to hear the full album before it’s official March 31st release, and was blown away.  This album was a welcomed bright spot during a dark time in my life, and I couldn’t wait to hear it live.  On a whim, I decided to attend the third show of his tour and traveled to Hartford.  While I officially didn’t cover the show, I did capture “Fourth Of July” on video, which was an incredible and intense version of the song.  He was still working out a few kinks for many of the new songs live, so it wasn’t a flawless performance, but I loved the show, and the new tunes sounded beautiful..

Sufjan Stevens (Citi Wang Theatre) (5.4.15) - This show was slightly more polished than Hartford, and Sufjan seemed to be finding his groove with the new tour.  I recorded “Blue Bucket Of Gold”, which was an epic13-minute long version of the tune.

Album Review: Sufjan Stevens - Carrie and Lowell (5.11.15) - I wasn’t only enjoying the new album, I was obsessed with it.  So much so, I was inspired to write an album review, which is something I never do, but was pleased with how it turned out.  You can read it here.

The Tallest Man On Earth (Calvin Theatre) (5.13.15) -  I always enjoyed going to Northampton for shows, and this was a special one, as it was the tour opener for his new album, Dark Bird Is Home.  

Courtney Barnett at the Sinclair (5.18.15) - Courtney was touring behind her debut studio album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.

Boston Calling Day Fri (5.22.15) (Sharon Van Etten, Tame Impala, Beck) 

Boston Calling Day Sat (5.23.15) (Krill, DMAs, Mo, Run the Jewels, Tove Lo, Gerard Way, Marina and the Diamonds, St. Vincent, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, My Morning Jacket) 

Boston Calling Day (5.24.15) (The Ballroom Thieves, Halsey, The Lone Bellow, Lucius, Jason Isbell, Vance Joy, TV On the Radio, Tenacious D, Jack Black, The Pixies)

Levitate Music Festival - Marshfield (7.11.15) - The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Dr. Dog, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue - Levitate started back in 2013, and this was my first time attending this festival, which I enjoyed.

Newport Folk Festival Day Fri (7.24.15) - (Joe Pug, Bahamas, Elephant Revival, Angel Olsen, Leon Bridges, The Lone Bellow, Calexico, Strand Of Oaks, The Tallest Man On Earth, Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell, Heartless Bastards, My Morning Jacket, Roger Waters) 

2015 was absolutely stacked for Newport.  On paper, it doesn’t  get much better, and they were celebrating the 50th anniversary of Bob Dylan going electric back in ‘65.

Sadly, this would be my final year covering the Newport Folk Festival, as I ended my blog in the spring of the following year.  However, I’d attend the festival one last time in ‘16, just as I began - a fan looking to hear some music from artists I liked, in a beautiful waterfront setting among some fine folk.

Newport Folk Festival Day Sat (7.25.15) - (Spirit Family Reunion, Joe Fletcher, The Barr Brothers, Joe Pug, Langhorne Slim and the Law, Nikki Lane, Jason Isbell, Courtney Barnett, Sturgill Simpson, Tommy Stinson, James Taylor, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists)

Newport Folk Festival Day (7.26.15) (The Ballroom Thieves, Christopher Paul Stelling, Brian Fallon, Jon Batiste, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Nightsweats, Lord Huron, The Felice Brothers, First Aid Kit, Blake Mills, Laura Marling, Hozier, J Macis, Shakey Graves, Dylan ‘65 Tribute, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Willie Watson, Dawes, Robyn Hitchcock)

Van Halen at Xfinity Center (8.1.15) - This was one of those bucket list shows for me.  Oddly, I’d never seen Van Halen, and this was a pretty cool experience. 

Boston Calling Day Fri (9.25.15) (Gregory Alan Isakov, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers)  - As far as three-artist, day #1 concert goes, it doesn’t really get much better for me.  

Boston Calling Day sat (9.26.15) (Stephen Malkmus, Sturgill Simpson, Father John Misty, Walk the Moon, Chromeo, Chvrches, Alt-J)

Boston Calling Day (9.27.15) (Alabama Shakes, Bully, Daughter, Mister Wives, Nate Ruess, Ben Howard, Hozier) - This would be the last Boston Calling I would attend, and the festival would move from Government Center to the Harvard Athletic Complex in May of ‘17.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Royale) (11.6.15) - After first seeing the at Newport, I just had to see the band again.  I’d actually see them four times in Denver from 2016-’18.

Lake Street Dive (Club Passim) (11.18.15) - This was part of their “Memory Lane Tour,“ which included three Cambridge stops - two nights at Club Passim and one at the Lizard Lounge.  This very tiny Club Passim show (capacity 100) was quite special, and included songs from their upcoming album.

[zhugkp]

Exile story

Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll. The Rolling Stones didn’t invent the formula. But they lived it like no other band in history. And when the rapacious taxmen of England came demanding more cash than Mick Jagger and Keith Richards — not to mention bandmates Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor — had or cared to pay in the spring of 1971, the Stones moved their party to the South of France.

When they couldn’t find a suitable French Riviera studio to record their 10th album, the Stones set up in the basement of Villa Nellcote, Richards’ rented 16-room mansion on the coast in Villefranche-sur-Mer. All marble and wrought iron, Richards said it looked like it was decorated for “bloody Marie Antoinette.”

He also liked to recount its history as a Gestapo headquarters, where Nazis did nasty things in the same basement the Stones used to jam all night. The hallways still had swastika-shaped air vents. “But it’s all right, we’re here now,” he assured recording engineer Andy Johns.

By making the record in Richards’ own house, band members figured they could get the famously ramshackle guitarist to show up for the sessions. They were wrong. And Richards wasn’t the only one living on the edge. For a six-month stretch, the Stones swapped partners, ingested every available drug, set fires and nearly drove each other mad while crafting rock’s most decadent record, 1972’s “Exile on Main Street.”

On May 16, Universal is reissuing “Exile” in several forms: an 18-track CD; a deluxe edition with 10 previously unreleased songs; and a super-deluxe package with vinyl, a 30-minute documentary DVD and a 50-page photo book.

The Post got an early copy of the music and the “Stones in Exile” documentary, which will premiere Friday on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” From these, fresh interviews and Robert Greenfield’s “Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones,” we assembled the most debauched stories of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll from the people who actually lived in “Exile.”

SEX

Gone was the Stones’ usual stream of adoring female fans. For six months, the groupie-gobbling rockers were housebound with significant others. Jagger even got married to Nicaraguan girlfriend Bianca, then pregnant with daughter Jade, during the stretch. Richards shacked up at Nellcote with Italian actress Anita Pallenberg, close pal of Marianne Faithfull and former flame of late Stones guitarist Brian Jones. Fresh from rehab, she arrived with their toddler son, Marlon, in tow.

While the recording went on, she managed to fool around with Jagger and have half-conscious, stoned sex with drug dealer Tommy Weber on a Louis XIV bed while Richards was passed out next to them.

“It was like a royal court where the nobles were sleeping with each other’s women,” says Greenfield, who spent two weeks living at Nellcote — and a third just hanging around — while on assignment for Rolling Stone that May. He wasn’t the only one to notice the band’s exploits.

“Everyone screwed everyone else’s wives and girlfriends,” Johns says. “That’s just the way it was, and you didn’t think too much about that.”

After Jagger married Bianca, Pallenberg did her best to break them up, even starting grade-school-style rumors that Bianca was born a man. Pallenberg got pregnant, too, but kept using heroin. She sought a secret abortion, not because of the drugs, but because she thought the child was Mick’s.

Richards, meanwhile, wasn’t interested in sex at the time, probably due to his heavy drug abuse. One studio regular recalls Pallenberg complaining, “All he wants is the wanking — he never f – – – s me!”

The Stones weren’t the only ones fooling around. Their sidemen were kept busy, too.

“I didn’t mind living between Nice and Monte Carlo, didn’t mind that a bit,” says Bobby Keys, the Texas-born, libertine sax man famous for honking on “Brown Sugar” and every Stones record from 1969 to 1974. “I didn’t mind all them pretty girls around the countryside. Yes sir, buddy! That’s when you’re sh – – – in’ in tall cotton!”

DRUGS

Fueling the excessive behavior at Nellcote was a huge stash of drugs, many smuggled in by Weber, a former Formula One racer turned Afghani hash runner. That May, Weber traveled from England to the Cote d’Azur via Ireland — “in case he was being followed,” Greenfield says — with a pound of coke strapped to the waists of his preteen sons, Charlie and Jake. At age 7, “my function in life was [to be] a joint roller,” says Jake, who grew up to star in the CBS drama “Medium.”

Everyone who visited the house seemed bent on self-destruction. John Lennon threw up at the foot of the stairs one day while touring the premises with Yoko Ono. Richards blamed it on too much sun and wine, but it was more likely the ex-Beatle’s methadone habit.

As Richards was picking up Marlon’s toys in the living room one night, Greenfield watched him grab a mystery pill off the floor. “Bam! He throws it down his throat,” Greenfield says. “Who knows what he put in his mouth, but that’s Keith. Could have been a vitamin, but I don’t think so. Not in that house.”

Jean de Breteuil, the so-called “dealer to the stars” who supplied Jim Morrison with a lethal dose, bought his way into a two-week residence with a toot of ultra-pure pink heroin from Thailand. Richards snorted it from a gold tube he wore around his neck and promptly passed out. Later, Richards paid $9,000 cash ($50,000 today) to a couple of cowboy boot-wearing dealers known as “the Corsicans” for more of the pink junk.

The smack arrived in a plastic bag the size of a two-pound sack of sugar, Greenfield writes, and was so potent it had to be cut with three parts glucose — hence its nickname, “cotton candy.” It lasted a month.

“With a hit of smack,” Richards says, “I could work through anything and not give a damn.”

One night, Richards passed out upstairs after “putting Marlon to bed” — his code for getting loaded. Johns found him with the needle still in his arm, blood spattered on the walls. The studio whiz poked the rock legend to see if he was still alive.

“Of course he picks up the guitar, which he was in bed with, goes, ‘Oh, yeah,’ and starts playing,” Johns says.

Another time, a chauffeur had to pull Pallenberg and Richards, naked and unconscious, from a bed they’d accidentally set on fire. But the rest of the help wasn’t so useful. The couple’s errand boys, local hoods they called “les cowboys,” were suspected of stealing at least nine vintage guitars and Keys’ engraved saxophones when drug debts went unpaid.

By December, French authorities caught wind of the scene and charged the Stones and their pals with heroin possession. As a bonus, Richards and Pallenberg were issued warrants for trafficking. But all of the Stones had high-tailed it to LA a month earlier.

Jagger, Taylor, Wyman and Watts eventually returned to France to face the charges, but a combination of fame, luck and bribes got them freed with mere slaps on the wrists.

Richards and Pallenberg were banned from France for two years, but they had no plans to return, anyway. They’d fled Nellcote in such haste that they abandoned Marlon’s toys, Pallenberg’s wardrobe, Richards’ record collection, a speedboat, a Jaguar E-type sports car and two pets, Boots the parrot and Okee the dog.

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

There was Jesse Jackson in 1988 and Bill Bradley in 2000. There was Howard Dean in 2004 and Bernie Sanders in 2016. Candidates running as liberal or populist alternatives to more center-left, establishment candidates have often lost in Democratic primaries. And while the party has shifted left on policy and some of its most compelling figures (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren) are very liberal, the center left has generally won head-to-head battles with the left over the last four years, whether the battlefield was policy debates on Capitol Hill or congressional and gubernatorial primaries. So in late December it seemed likely that former Vice President Joe Biden was on course to win the nomination — a fairly unsurprising outcome, as he is the kind of center-left establishment candidate Democrats often choose.

Biden is now almost certainly going to win the nomination. But watching the process in the moment, Biden’s victory didn’t seem at all like a foregone conclusion; Sanders was the clear front-runner in the period between the Nevada caucuses and Super Tuesday, and Biden looked fairly weak then.

So assuming Sanders doesn’t make a miraculous comeback, it’s worth asking: Did the left broadly and Sanders and Warren in particular blow the 2020 campaign?1 Or did Sanders, Warren and the left always have a narrow path to victory because Democrats have tended to prefer more centrist candidates, and the period between Nevada and Super Tuesday a bit of a mirage?

Let’s look at both perspectives.

The deck was stacked against the left

There are a bunch of reasons to subscribe to this theory:

Most Democrats are not unabashedly liberal or looking for Sanders-style policies. At most, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party amounts to about a third of the primary electorate. Democrats who identify as “very liberal” accounted for between 20 and 30 percent of the electorate in most states that have voted so far in the 2020 primaries, according to exit polls.

Democratic primary voters, largely because of their antipathy toward President Trump, were obsessed with electability from the start of the 2020 campaign and were likely more wary of female or leftist candidates on that basis.

The media largely covered the race through the frame of electability, as opposed to a more policy-focused frame like candidates’ pitch for “structural change.” This cast leftward policy ideas as a barrier to electoral victory.

Biden was an especially strong candidate because of his pre-campaign popularity with black voters and the fact that primary voters were already focused on electability, which turned his centrism, gender and race into advantages in a way they might not have been if Democrats were not so nervous about Trump.

The wealthy have disproportionate power in American politics and they’re wary of populist candidates, so they used their money and influence to weaken Sanders and Warren.

There was a virtually unprecedented mobilization of the Democratic establishment to stop Sanders ahead of Super Tuesday.

The center left borrowed many of the left’s ideas, making it harder for the liberal candidates to distinguish themselves without taking controversial stands.

That last point is hard to disagree with — and hard to pin on Sanders or Warren. Indeed, it’s in part a testament to their success. In early 2015, the Obama administration started pushing for what was a fairly bold idea at the time: free community college across America. The Democratic Party’s main health care goal was to make sure the Affordable Care Act was implemented broadly. Now, both wings of the party have shifted left: The party’s more centrist wing is advocating for free four-year college for most Americans and providing Medicare-style coverage for everyone who wants it, and Sanders took up the banner for free college for everyone and Medicare for All.

You can see this on issue after issue — the center of gravity in Democratic policymaking has moved left. If you think of Sanders as essentially running a five-year campaign to move the Democratic Party closer to him on policy (rather than campaigning to become president himself), he has been fairly successful.

But the center left shifting leftward probably makes it harder for more liberal candidates like Sanders to actually win. If Biden ran on just maintaining Obamacare, it would have been easier for Sanders to distinguish himself on health care. Instead, Biden embraced a Medicare-style public option that is very popular and also a shift left from the status quo.

Biden “has already adopted a lot of progressive policies,” said Jacob Hacker, a political science professor at Yale and a longtime advocate of a Medicare-style public option.

The other point in that list that’s pretty undebatable is the effort to stop Sanders. What happened in the three days between the South Carolina primary and Super Tuesday — in particular, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar dropping out of the race and flying to Texas to endorse Biden — was surprising and without much precedent in recent primaries.

“I have never seen my party do anything it deemed strategically necessary as quickly and decisively as it did here,” said Brian Fallon, a longtime Democratic operative who was Hillary Clinton’s national press secretary for her 2016 presidential campaign.

The other explanations for the left’s weaknesses that I listed above are more debatable. For example, it’s true that most Democrats don’t call themselves “very liberal,” but the plurality of Democrats in most states described themselves as “somewhat liberal,” and that is a group Sanders and Warren should have been trying to appeal to as well. Warren, in particular, had a period of fairly favorable media coverage during which she made inroads with those “somewhat liberal” voters. It just didn’t last. And there were other openings for Sanders and Warren in the electorate; Biden, while strong with some blocs in the party, had almost no support among younger voters until fairly recently.

Overall, however, I think there is a decent case that the left was always going to have a hard time defeating a center left in 2020.

“The Sanders/Warren wing is smaller than the Obama/Clinton/Biden wing of the party, even though the Sanders/Warren wing tends to be more active and visible, especially online,” said Benjamin Knoll, who teaches American politics at Kentucky’s Centre College. “The Sanders wing of the party is hugely popular among younger Democrats, and time and time again they simply don’t show up to vote in primaries at the same rate as older voters.”

He added, “In 2016, the ‘establishment’ wing coalesced around a single candidate, Hillary Clinton, and was able to beat back Sanders. This time it may have been possible for Sanders to follow the 2016 Trump route by having a core third of the party and splitting the establishment vote, allowing him to emerge with a plurality. But the Democratic primary electorate coalesced around Biden after South Carolina.”

The left blew it

Of course, that’s not to say you can’t make a compelling argument that 2020 represented a golden opportunity for the left and they simply fumbled it.

The left embraced two Northeastern liberals with entirely predictable weaknesses with older black voters, and neither Sanders nor Warren did much to connect with those voters.

Sanders and Warren did not focus enough on convincing voters that they were as electable as Biden, even as polls showed Democratic voters were obsessed with picking a candidate who could beat Trump.

Sanders and Warren embraced getting rid of private insurance in favor of Medicare for All, a position that is controversial even among Democrats and was easy for the center left to cast as both impractical and a barrier to defeating Trump.

Neither Sanders nor Warren had effective strategies for defending themselves from attacks from the party’s center left after they surged in the polls.

After his win in Nevada, Sanders did little to engage Democrats who didn’t already support him; in fact, he antagonized them.

Warren was unwilling to drop out and endorse Sanders before Super Tuesday, even as the weaker center-left candidates consolidated around Biden.

Sanders’s campaign apparently planned to win the nomination by getting a plurality of the vote (30 to 35 percent) in a crowded field and it didn’t appear to have a real plan for a one-on-one contest against Biden.

It’s likely that all of these campaign-centric factors combined to represent a relatively big barrier to either Sanders or Warren winning the nomination. That said, figuring out which one of these factors was singularly important is really complicated. And in my interviews with Democratic operatives, people tended to highlight shortcomings of the left that aligned with their own preexisting views — more centrist Democrats argued that Sanders and Warren ran on platforms that were too liberal and that those candidates didn’t focus on electability enough, while African American activists said those campaigns did too little outreach to black people, and people aligned with Warren said Sanders didn’t do enough to court the party establishment.

Also, a lot of campaign tactics seem clearly misguided in hindsight but were entirely defensible in the moment. And looking at Warren and Sanders’s campaigns combined is helpful in illustrating this point. For example, it’s hard to claim that Sanders lost because he didn’t court the party establishment enough if you consider how much Warren pursued party elites to little avail. Perhaps Warren should have talked about electability more when she was surging in the polls, but Sanders emphasized his ability to build support among people who backed Trump in 2016 from the beginning of his campaign and Democratic voters still thought Biden was the safest choice.

Finally, some of the more campaign-centric narratives seem clearly contradicted by the structural case I laid out above. Biden’s support among black voters was strong before he formally started his campaign, and none of the other candidates — including two prominent black ones (Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris) — ever really dented it, so it’s hard to say that flawed black outreach was a particular failing of Sanders or Warren.

But the full-scale push for Medicare for All by Sanders, Warren and the broader left — even after it was clear that they were losing the primary debate on that issue — seems like it was a mistake electorally, even if it was a righteous cause. (The massive numbers of people losing their jobs as businesses shut down to slow the spread the coronavirus has probably bolstered the case that Americans’ health insurance should not be tied to their jobs, as Sanders aides are now arguing.) Once Biden entered the race and started pushing back against Medicare for All, Buttigieg and Harris, who are fairly savvy about seeing shifts in the political winds, started backtracking from the idea. Warren and Sanders could have done the same. Some Democrats doubted Warren’s electability for reasons that were somewhat unfair to her (she is a woman and lives in Massachusetts), but her embrace of Medicare for All freed her critics to argue that they were worried her policies made her unelectable, not her gender.

After all, basically no one thinks Medicare for All has any chance of passing Congress anytime soon. Warren, after months of criticism, eventually started pushing for a phased-in Medicare for All plan that would start with a Medicare-style public option, along the lines of what Biden and Buttigieg were proposing. Sanders never backtracked from Medicare for All, but one of his top surrogates, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, conceded in February that a Medicare buy-in might be all that could get passed in Congress, at least in the short term.

Medicare for All “has taken a lot of the oxygen out of the room for more popular health care ideas,” said Julian NoiseCat, vice president for policy and strategy at Data for Progress, a think tank allied with the party’s left wing.

And the Medicare for All issue can be tied to a broader narrative of the left failing that goes something like this: In an environment where it was fairly predictable that a candidate backed by black voters and electability-minded voters would do well, the party’s left wing championed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, neither of whom had history of connecting with black voters or running based on electability. Both ran campaigns that emphasized their leftism, particularly on Medicare for All. Neither campaign seemed well prepared for the backlash against leftism from the party’s center-left elites, nor did they seem to have any plan to convince voters who aren’t very liberal that they could get elected on these liberal ideas and then implement them as president.

And that focus on leftist policies likely made it even harder for these candidates to win over black voters. “Black Democrats may be a lot more skeptical of big promises from the government; a lot of these ideas fail the black voter smell-test,” said Hakeem Jefferson, a Stanford University professor who studies black political attitudes.

Like a lot of things, the truth here probably lies somewhere in between these two arguments. Sanders and Warren struggled in 2020 because of big, structural factors outside of their control, but also because of a few major missteps along the way. Anyway, does it really matter if Sanders’s likely loss was 20 percent, 50 percent or 80 percent his fault?

Yes, actually. There is already a discussion underway about what the party’s left wing should do in the future. One view, which fits with the general argument that left-wing Democrats faced structural challenges in 2020, is that time is on the side of the progressives. Younger Democrats tend to support more liberal candidates, so the party could gradually move left as the millennial and Gen Z generations become larger shares of the electorate.

But NoiseCat, arguing that winning is within the left’s control now, says that progressives need to make some strategic shifts post-Sanders: pushing liberal ideas that also poll well, building closer ties with the party’s establishment wing and doing more to persuade Democratic voters that leftist ideas are both achievable and not electorally dangerous.

“With Bernie Sanders losing,” NoiseCat said, “the silver lining is we get to define a progressive movement post-Bernie that is not attached to him.”

[ramseyesscom]

Issue Seventy-Seven

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We made it! Happy New Year, readers!

Before we return to our usual format, for the last month or so I've been asking for your best ofs. So this week, I'm very excited to turn it over to nine of the nominees we received for The Best of 2020!

The Thing: The Answer Is...  by Alex Trebek 

Submitted by : Dan Blake

Why It's Great: "Not a traditional autobiography, this book offers glimpses into the life and career of one of the most skilled television presenters. These vignettes let the reader know the man behind the podium, from his childhood in Northern Ontario to meeting the Queen of England. A great read, and a great way to remember a tremendous entertainer and an icon for all trivia lovers. "

The Thing: Tiger King

Submitted by: Chris A.

Why It's Great: "Although the content was great, I will admit this wasn’t the most compelling media to be seen in 2020. However, my reason for nominating TK is more about the effect it had on the country. It brought us all together during a time when we were forced apart. It it was the cure for loneliness. Something we could gather around and discuss for hours during zoom hangouts.  The show managed to integrate itself into popular culture so swiftly, more than anything in recent memory. Crazy in the beginning, crazy in the middle, and crazy at the end... (just like 2020)."

The Thing: 

I PICK TWO THINGS: Duval Timothy's HELP and Top Chef Season 17

Submitted by: Brad Kerr

Why It's Great: "Duval Timothy's record was the perfect sad-guy soundtrack to 2020. A combination of minimalist jazz piano, electronic ambient, and field recordings sounded good every time I put it on. Also he answered my email and was a super nice guy. Top Chef season 17 was the best season of Top Chef and I looked forward to it every week in the early days of virus paranoia. I'm sorry but reality cooking shows will ALWAYS be superior to scripted prestige TV although the chess lady show was really good too."

The Thing: Ted Lasso

Submitted by: Laurie Fox

Why It's Great: "One of the best series we have ever watched - funny and positive. Certainly needed in 2020!"

The Thing: Utz Cheez Balls

Submitted by: Clay Cooper

Why It's Great: "I've eaten so many cheez (🤔) balls this year. I know people think Doritos are the perfect combo of salt, fat, umami, and crunch, but there's something about the way cheez balls' foamy texture and overly-salty coating combines to bring euphoria to my quarantine binge session.."

The Thing: Big Baby - Whitmer Thomas

Submitted by: Chris Donahue

Why It's Great: "Just the kind of silliness that was needed at the beginning of this horrible year."

The Thing: Four Seasons Total Landscaping

Submitted by: Eric Cunningham

Why It's Great: "Amidst the celebration of the official-unofficial declaration of Biden's win, here was an announcement of a typical pouty press conference we all knew was coming. But then the correction regarding the location. What was Four Seasons Total Landscaping? Was it a misbooking?  Who booked it? When? Why didn't they just move the location? And then once we all got to actually see it, that's when it became the highlight of 2020 for me. It looked abandoned, every building it was near was funny in a different way, and then just like that we all moved on. We still have no answers for why it happened, but I'm really glad it did."

The Thing: Local Honey by Brian Fallon

Submitted by: Chandler B.

Why It's Great: "It's the project from Brian that I've been waiting for for years. Stripped back, simple, excellent songwriting. The songwriter of my teens and early 20s has finally gone full middle-aged man and I couldn't be happier."

The Thing: Eve 6’s Twitter!!!

Submitted by: Jenn de la Vega

Why It's Great: "Squeakin’ in during the last couple weeks of 2020, a welcome dose of candid posts about having a one hit wonder and trashing on the Foo Fighters (even if Dave Grohl is actually nice)."

[chaos-and-recover]

all the asks. all of them.

I KNEW IT.

1: name 11 bands you listen to regularly

1. AFI2. Brian Fallon3. Anberlin4. The Gaslight Anthem5. Lucky Boys Confusion6. Jimmy Eat World7. July Talk8. The Rocket Summer9. 36 Crazyfists10. The Used11. Glen Hansard

2: is there a band with only one song you like?

Right now I have that stupid Sofi Tukker song from the iPhone X (red) commercial stuck in my head so that one. It’s catchy as fuck but I’m SO OVER the song of theirs from the original iPhone X commercial. So. That one I guess?

3: what is a very unpopular band you’re into? tell a little bit about them

Plain White T’s. Listen to me, I know they are not good and I know if we never heard Hey There Delilah live again we would all die happy but they are my boys, they have been my boys for 16 years, and I will always stand by them. They have never been anything less than great to me over those 16 years and I would take a bullet for each of them.

4: name a great band you recently discovered

I wanna say Creeper, whom I love, but there are also two bands who’ve been around a while I’m finally realizing how great they are/were - The Arkells and the Tragically Hip.

5: which rare recording of any band would you like to possess?

The Stranger Ways 7″ by Anberlin. It’s the ONLY THING I need to have a 100% complete Anberlin discography and it was only released as a bonus item for people who bought VIP on the Australian leg of their final tour and it HAUNTS ME. I fucking... need it. There’s been one for sale on discogs for a while but it’s like $200 and I cannot but eventually I’m gonna cave.

6: is there an artist whose solo career you prefer over their work with their band(s)?

I... can’t think of one? I love Glen Hansard solo more than I have ever been able to get into The Frames but The Swell Season is just... still... so good.

7: which is you favourite side project by any band member?

I probably have to be basic as hell and just say Blaqk Audio.

8: which song do you think should everybody listen to at least once in their lives?

Mourning Ritual - Bad Moon Rising (with my mans Peter Dreimanis of July Talk singing lead. It’s such a good cover. I love it so much.)

9: explain why your favourite song is your favourite song

I actually don’t know if I have just one favourite song but I guess Falling Slowly qualifies and I just... think it’s gorgeous? I just really love the line “You have suffered enough and warred with yourself, it’s time that you won.”

10: any bands you got into after seeing them live?

Milk Teeth would be the most recent, but also that’s how I got into Plain White T’s and it was from seeing them that I got into Lucky Boys Confusion and The Rocket Summer, so.

11: any bands your friends got you into?

I actually have a wildly different musical taste than most of my friends but I blame @sinceubeenjon for the 5SOS thing. Also 1D a little. And I got into Creeper because of a friend.

12: a band which is the only band from their genre you like?

clipping. is probably the only hip hop act I’m really into.

13: an unpopular opinion on which is your favourite song by any band?

The 1D fandom on this hellsite for some reason cannot appreciate the fact that Diana was the best song they ever had and I will not stand for it.

14: _th favourite song by your _th favourite band?

THESE NEED MORE SPECIFIC NUMBERS NICOLE. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO ANSWER THIS.

15: _th favourite album by your _th favourite band?

SAME.

16: favourite album artwork?

I still think the simplicity of Worship & Tribute by Glassjaw is brilliant.

17: favourite booklet design?

Anorexia & Nervosa by Showbread. Technically two different albums but similar in design and I just love having the story there to go with the music.

18: favourite concept album?

...Anorexia & Nervosa again. Criminally underrated. Y’all broke their brains not appreciating them lmao.

19: which bands would you like to see live one day?

I think I’ve actually seen pretty much everyone I’ve ever really wanted to?

20: which was the longest concert you ever attended?

I mean, aside from festivals, I did see Eric Church play for like three and a half hours straight. That was a time.

21: a musician whose music you enjoy but whom you dislike as a person or vice versa?

Music I enjoy but dislike as a person - I mean 3/5 Backstreet Boys are on thin fucking ice, so...

Person I like whose music I don’t - Ariana Grande kinda sounds like she’s good people but god am I ever not the target audience for her.

22: list 10 favourite songs by your top 10 bands (each)

LORD.

AFI:-Narrative of Soul Against Soul-Days Of The Phoenix-Veronica Sawyer Smokes-Paper Airplanes (Makeshift Wings)-Still A Stranger-Malleus Maleficarum-17 Crimes-Of Greetings & Goodbyes-The Interview-A Deep Slow Panic

Anberlin:-The Unwinding Cable Car-Atonement-A Day Late-Autobahn-Naive Orleans-Younglife-Losing It All-There Is No Mathematics To Love And Loss-To The Wolves-City Electric

Jimmy Eat World:-Dizzy-Firefight-Big Casino-Work-Kill-Drugs Or Me-The Middle-If You Don’t Don’t-A Praise Chorus-For Me This Is Heaven

The Gaslight Anthem:-Blue Dahlia-Mulholland Drive-The 59 Sound-Great Expectations-Here’s Lookin’ A You Kid-45-Boxer-Rollin’ and Tumblin’-We Came To Dance-Handwritten

The Rocket Summer:-Movie Stars & Supermodels-White Fireworks-FL, CA-Brat Pack-200,000-Skies So Blue-The Rescuing Type-Cross My Heart-You Are, You Are-Never Knew

MxPx:-I’m Ok, You’re Ok-My Life Story-Responsibility-Southbound-Middlename-Teenage Politics-Punk Rawk Show-Chick Magnet-Yuri Wakes Up Screaming-Move To Bremerton

36 Crazyfists:-Slit Wrist Theory-At The End Of August-Song For The Fisherman-11.24.11-I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops-The Heart And The Shape-We Gave It Hell-Rest Inside The Flames-Bloodwork-Time & Trauma

Lucky Boys Confusion:-Burn A Little Brighter-Stormchasers-Hey Driver-Mr. Wilmington-Fred Astaire-Do You Miss Me (Killians)-Commitment-Breaking Rules-I Slept With The Devil-Medicine & Gasoline

Plain White T’s:-Radios In Heaven-Stop-Breakdown-I-88-What If?-Please Don’t Do This-Take Me Away-Revenge-Penny (Perfect For You)-Shine

July Talk:-Johnny + Mary-Lola + Joseph-Strange Habit-Having You Around-Summer Dress-Headsick-Push + Pull-Beck + Call-Picturing Love-Guns + Ammunition

23: favourite singer (only for voice?) and favourite drummer/guitarist/bassist (only for playing their instrument)

Singer - Davey Havok, Peter Dreimanis or Adam LambertBassist - Alex Katunis (formerly of Incubus and bassist on all my favourite Incubus songs)Guitarist - Ian Docherty (July Talk)Drummer - Travis Barker, or my soft bird boy Danny Miles from July Talk who is so good and so pure.

24: favourite songwriter/lyric writer

Brian Fallon, Glen Hansard, Davey Havok

25: somebody you absolutely adore as both a musician and a person

Bryce Avary, aka The Rocket Summer, who is the light of my life and a literal ray of sunshine, whose music is so, so uplifting even when it gets a little dark and who has never not been a joy to be around. He’s so kind and so genuine and I love him so, so much.

[aion-rsa]

The Mandalorian: Horatio Sanz’s Mythrol Brings SNL Spirit to Star Wars

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This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season 2 episode 4.

Though Disney+’s first Star Wars live-action series The Mandalorian is only a year old, the series is already starting to circle back on its own mythology. In season 2 episode 4 “The Siege,” the show brings back a secondary character who factored heavily into the series’ very first scene.

That’s right: Horatio Sanz’s “The Mythrol” is back and he’s just as useless as ever. Longtime (well, if November 2019 was a long time ago) Mando fans will remember Sanz’s unnamed Mythrol as the first bounty that the show’s titular bounty hunter collected. After saving the Mythrol’s life from a group of trawlers, Din Djarin a.k.a. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) went ahead and captured the amphibious rogue himself. The Mythrol was encased in carbonite Han Solo-style and handed over to the Bounty Hunters’ Guild.

When the Mythrol pops up again in “The Siege,” he’s a little worse for wear. He still can’t see out of his left eye (proving that carbonite is unlikely to get that New Republic FDA approval any time soon) and he owes Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) a debt of 350 years for performing a bit of “creative accounting” with his books. It’s not long before Mando, Greef, and Cara Dune (Gina Carano) convince the Mythrol to come along on their mission to take down the last remaining Imperial base on Nevarro.

It’s here that showrunner Jon Favreau and the other folks behind The Mandalorian reveal once again just how much they appreciate and respect some good comedic relief. Many ostensible drama series have come to realize the value in adding comedic actors in dramatic roles. Breaking Bad experienced so much success in casting comedians like Bob Odenkirk, Bill Burr, and Lavell Crawford that it even got a six-season spinoff out of it. The Mandalorian in turn has featured the aforementioned Burr, Eugene Cordero, Brian Posehn, Adam Pally, and Jason Sudeikis. Sanz, however, was the first comedic actor to pop up on the show and he is the second one to recur (after Amy Sedaris’s Peli Motto). As it turns out, Sanz’s style of deadpan, anything-goes comedy is a perfect fit for a show that requires multiple escalations of nonsense per episode. 

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The Chilean-born Sanz is probably best known for his lengthy stint on Saturday Night Live. From 1998 through 2006, Sanz was a frequent background player in sketches and even played some regular characters such as Aaron Neville, Gobi (co-host of Jarrett’s Room alongside Jimmy Fallon), and grotesque cartoonist Jasper Hahn. He was also well-known for his minimalist, yet absurdly catchy Christmas ditty “I Wish it Was Christmas Today.”

Still, despite being a member of the cast for eight years, Sanz’s time on SNL is seen as largely undistinguished. He would “break” in sketches frequently, cracking up at the absurdity of whatever Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon, or others were bringing to the table. One got the sense that he stuck around the show so long because he was a favorite of his fellow castmates, and not necessarily the audience’s. 

After his SNL career came to an end, the Upright Citizens Brigade-trained Sanz began to reveal his improvisation and “up-for-anything” skills that made him a curious fit on SNL but a perfect fit for inventive shows like The Mandalorian. There’s a concept in improv comedy known as “yes and,” which states that improv performers should respond with a figurative (or sometimes literal) “yes and…” to their improv partners’ comedic concepts so that sketches can continue and escalate in their absurdity and humor. Sanz embodies that “yes and” spirit writ large, and it can be best observed on his frequent Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast appearances alongside host Scott Aukerman.

Over seven appearances on the show, Sanz portrays a laconic, white-haired character named “Shelly Driftwood.” Shelly isn’t so much a character as he is an empty vessel for Sanz to take any comedic setup from Aukerman and run with it to its absolute comedic extreme. The “canon” of Shelly Driftwood became incredibly complex, oft-contradictory, and completely ludicrous through his final appearance. The Comedy Bang! Bang! Wiki tries to sum it up as best it can thusly:

“Shelly Driftwood is a character played by Horatio Sanz. He is a book writer who wrote a book exonerating O.J. Simpson, because he actually killed Ron Goldman. He sells Porsches (but drives a 1989 Prius). He once sued Target but it was a scam and he only got $2400, even though one of his eyes now sees upside-down. He once pranked his best friend by pissing on his mom’s face.”

That level of Dadaist madness is what one can achieve when they “yes and” to an extreme level. Given that The Mandalorian is a scripted show (and an enormous, important IP for Disney), Sanz likely hasn’t had many opportunities to improvise during the Mythrol’s two appearances thus far. But that “yes and” spirit persists in the actor and carries over in the much put-upon character, creating one of The Mandalorian’s better comedic creations. Sanz is up for anything, and Mythrol is up for anything as well (via his still many-yeared obligation to Greef Karga). Let’s hope the show is up for continuing the sad, hilarious saga of this unnamed fish man.

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