#well just an army of drummers

[ilovearthur-morgan]

She Keeps Me Up | Chapter 1

pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem/afab!reader

Plot summary: Modern AU, John Marston is in a band, you're in the band. (as the bassist). One day, Arthur is dragged to one of John's gigs and sees you playing and develops a lil crush

warning: very slight nsfw themes if you squint, and I mean squint but other than that there are none

authors note: this is my first fan fic so constructive criticism is welcomed! can you tell what instrument I play? ;) can't tell if this story will turn into anything so this might be abandoned.... sorry!

The mashup mentioned in the fic, is this one below. My band plays it, and it is very cool.

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The bar was dingy. Why did John even bother to book this place? Arthur wondered to himself as he stumbled in. The band was still setting up as John wondered over to him. "You excited, Arthur?" John questioned.

"No" Arthur replied bluntly. John expected this. His band only played covers and mashups, and that was not Arthurs scene. "Well even so, I hope you enjoy it" John said to Arthur. He just shrugged as John walked back to his band. Arthur walked over to the bar and ordered himself a beer as he waited for the band to start.

The lights dimmed, casting a red hue over the bar. It must be starting soon. Arthur wondered to himself. Almost as soon as he thought that, the opening notes of Seven Nation Army could be heard throughout the bar. The lights shone up on the band, and that's when he saw it. You. There you were playing the main riff to seven nation army. As basic as the song choice was, Arthur couldn't help but think to himself how well you played.

He was surprised, as he was getting into the song, John sang a different song? it was not seven nation army, but sweet dreams are made of this. He actually enjoyed it. Usually he didn't like the music John played but here he was, tapping his foot and humming along. Maybe it was you? the way your fingers worked sent him into a trance. He wondered what else those fingers could do....

He shook his head. He couldn't be thinking this! You were John's band member! But then it happened. You looked at him from the risen floor, which was a pathetic attempt of a stage. You looked at him with those peircing eyes of yours, sending him into a blushing mess. This has never happened before? he was blushing over someone looking at him! He was thankful for how dark it was in the room because he was certain he was bright red.

He stood there in a trance throughout the whole gig, only looking at you. You had hypnotised him as if you were a sorcerer holding a watch in front of him and rocking it back and forth.

Before he knew it, it was the end of the gig, and the lights were turning on. He slowly, hypnotically dragged himself over to John. "Well done, that was actually decent" he congratulated him. "Thanks, Arthur, means a lot" John replied.

"Let me introduce you to the band!" John takes his arm and drags him over to meet everyone. "That's Taylor, our drummer, Kaylee is on rhythmic guitar and you know I'm on lead guitar and singing" He then points you out and says your name "That's our bassist". You wave and smile at him. Arthur can't speak, he can't do anything but wave back. You finish packing up your instruments and walk over to John "Alright, I'm out" you say, patting his shoulder and waving goodbye. He couldn't believe it, your voice was softer than butter, as airy as a sponge.

John turned to Arthur as he followed your form leaving the bar. "We're getting drinks here same time tomorrow, you up for it?". Arthur only nods.

Same place, same time he'll get to see you again. Of course, he'd be there. He couldn't wait

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notes: thanks for reading! I hope everything was decent and pls lmk if people want another chapter! chapter 2 available now

[pikaflute]

This post contains spoilers for Army of the Doomstar, and also screencaps from the movie under the read more. This post is just about Nathan and Pickles by the way.

Okay let's talk about Nickles is real. I said in an earlier post that Charles directly tells Pickles to be Nathan's friend. Nathan at this point is afraid. He's got....a lot going on after being recently hospitalized due to exhaustion, coupled with the trauma of being the only one who remembers Requiem and having to be put on Xanax (possibly for anxiety). So now more than ever Nathan needs support. He needs his band. He needs a friend. He needs....well Pickles.

Obviously Pickles is already Nathan's friend. His best friend even. Despite all of Season 4, Pickles still cares a lot about Nathan. Even during this conversation with Charles he's like 'that's all?'. He's already doing that. Pickles throughout this movie is the one character trying his hardest to be there for Nathan. Calling him buddy, being supporting of him during the training, keeping an eye on him, doing everything he can to make sure Nathan is alright to not only write the song to save the world but just in general. Nathan needs it.

It also is worth mentioning that Charles probably chose Pickles for that exact reason. He probably knew he didn't need to tell him to be Nathan's friend either. No other member of Dethklok would've been as close to Nathan as Nathan is with Pickles. His drummer.

When they're with Knubbler, he calls them both the dad (nathan) and the mom (pickles). Why did he do this. I know why but. Humor me. By the way Pickles really leans into the mom role in this. This is a real line said in the movie:

Anyway during the scene after Murderface's exorcism, Nathan blames himself for fucking up the song of salvation. And then Pickles slaps him. When Nathan says "Everyone abandoned me" Pickles tells him:

Pickles knows! He experienced it! Nathan pushed him away and didn't tell him about the whale in Season 4 which caused the initial fight in the season. Coupled along with Nathan's attraction towards Abigail, Pickles knows first hand how Nathan pushes people out and shuts down when things happen to him. Now he's doing it again. He's shut out his band, he "broke up" with the fans due to his own issues, and with Abigail he couldn't let his own feelings be pushed aside and listen to hers.

Sure. It looks like slapping him isn't the best way to get through to him, but, Pickles knows Nathan. This is being his friend. Nathan is stubborn. He doesn't listen. This is how it's gonna get through to Nathan that, hey dipshit, you're not alone. You have others. You have me. (In fact. It's how Nathan go to Pickles in Fatherklok if you remember that correctly.) Nathan realizing he wants everyone to come back to help him is also somewhat similar to his apology to Pickles to come back at the end of Season 4. But that's just be tinhatting.

Also during this Murderface goes "this is weird." He doesn't like seeing mom and dad fight.

Later. Before they perform the song of salvation: this happens. With Nathan calling Pickles the best mother (fucker. Motherfucker.)

If this line isn't a metaphor for "I love you" than I'm going to play in traffic. The emphasis on the you in Nathan's line. I'll blow up.

Later on when they get kidnapped by Salacia and are essentially given their last meals, Pickles' orders Nathan's, further cementing how they're friends. A lead singer and his drummer.

why are you looking at a another man like that. HUH

Also Pickles touches Nathan like a lot this movie.

DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THIS MAN.

THE TENDER TOUCH. THE CARESS. MAN WHEN I SAW THIS I HAD TO GO TAKE A LAP AROUND MY HOUSE. I GOT SO EMOTIONAL AND PISSED. MAN. MAAAAAN.

This movie nails their relationship. How Nathan acts because of his role on the metalocalypse. How he handles his emotions. How the band handles their emotions. How Nathan and Pickles' friendship still is strong despite everything that happened to them. How Pickles is the one to snap Nathan to his senses and act like a real friend to Nathan; one he really needed. This movie is amazing and I cried like a baby.

Anyway this was Pickles in AOTD

And this was Nathan

Run me a check for nickles screenwriting credits Brendon. I'll be expecting it in my inbox by the end of the week.

[filmsmakkari]

LA Girl Magic

warren rojas x fem!reader

Summary: Warren Rojas always dreamed of Los Angeles. The clubs, the music, and the ridiculously beautiful women.

CW: Sexual-ish content but no actual smut, a little angsty at the end. As always my (Y/N) is assumed to be black and sometimes such is implied but definitely not enough that others can't read.

June 1979

Everyone always dreamed of Los Angeles. The warmth of the Californian sun, the waves crashing against the Venice shore, the palm trees lining the streets. LA was the land of opportunity. And when you wished on Los Angeles stars, it felt like they would always come true. LA was the dream. Endless sunny days, ridiculously beautiful girls, and freedom to do and be whatever you wanted.

Los Angeles was everything for a band from Pittsburgh, where the only options were the mill or the army. So when Billy Dunne asked Warren Rojas about the possibility, Warren immediately went out and bought a van so the band would be ready to make the drive. It more or less cost him everything he had. It was crazy, but he somehow trusted it.

And boy, he couldn't have been more right.

It didn't come immediately. Weeks of phone calls that lead to nowhere. Finally meeting Teddy Price, and then being put through the wringer by him for months, a canceled tour, and being so dirt poor that he had to steal toast from restaurants. Enter Daisy Jones. Look At Us Now comes out. Sold out shows, gold records, and more drugs and women tearing at his pants than he could have ever dreamed of when he was just some skinny, curly-haired kid in Pennsylvania. The Six were living the California dream. He always said Daisy had "LA girl magic." He even tried to get Billy to write a song about it. 

It was July 1st, 1979, the LA date of the Aurora tour. For Daisy, it was the hometown show, but she had always said she didn't have anyone in LA, no parents or extended family in the whole city. So everyone in the band was surprised when she said she'd have a childhood friend coming for the show. The shock became even greater when Daisy walked into the green room laughing and smiling with (Y/N) (L/N). 

(Y/N L/N) was the "it girl" before that term was coined. A gorgeous Hollywood starlet. An Oscar winner at ten, a Vogue cover at 15,  a sold out world tour at 20, and a star on the Walk of Fame by 21. She was currently working on her sophomore album, and the world was waiting to see how she'd elevate herself further. But in the meantime, she was staying on the public's minds with her new Chanel film being aired on every TV in America, in which she played a songbird stuck in a cage next to a bottle of Coco Mademoiselle. (Y/N) had the talent that made her the critic's darling and the incredible beauty that made her desired and hated.

Warren's breath caught when he looked at her.  (Y/N)'s hair, dark like a raven's wing,  tumbled down her back in long curls. She wore a pale blue Halston jumpsuit that made her skin shimmer, and diamond jewelry added to the effect. And her eyes… oh God, those brown eyes. Warren would bet that she'd be able to finish him with just her eyes.

His cheeks slightly heated up at his thoughts as he watched her introduce herself to the band members. She approached him last, wrapping her arms around his neck, saying, "Hey, it's so nice to meet you! I'm (Y/N)."

Warren stuttered slightly, removing his hands from her waist and looking into her eyes. "I-I know."

(Y/N) chuckled. "And are you gonna tell me your name, drummer?"

"Warren!" he rushed out embarrassingly quickly. "I'm Warren Rojas."

(Y/N) smiled. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Warren." 

Warren loved the way his name sounded on her tongue. He wanted her to say it over and over again.  He wondered what it'd be like to hear her scream it. 

These thoughts remained on his mind as he played as hard as he could that night, knowing she was watching and wanting her to feel every beat. Warren knew that people usually didn't pay attention to the rhythm section during concerts, too interested in the lead guitar or frontman to notice the lonesome drummer in the back, but just knowing there was a chance that (Y/N) was watching him, Warren played that drumline like it was his last night on earth.

Teddy was waiting as they all walked backstage, giving the usual pats on the shoulder and congratulations. 

"Hey, Rojas," Teddy called as Warren cracked open a beer. That is the kind of performance I expect from the best drummer in rock' n roll!" Warren had never received such high praise from Teddy, and the compliment made him swell with pride.

"Hey, call it the LA girl magic," Warren said with a shrug and a smile.

Teddy furrowed his brow, "I have no idea what you're talking about, son, but if that's what made you play like that, I need you to use it every night." 

˖°🌊🎐𓇼��🦪₊

The afterparties in the bus were always wild, but tonight was different. The Six had just played one of their best shows of the tour, so they decided to rent out some random bar on Sunset to celebrate specially. Beautiful bodies of men and women were swaying to the sensual rhythms and blues blaring from the boombox, and there were pills and powders sprawled across the tables that could only be found on the dirtiest streets of the City of Angels. This night was on fire. 

Now, on a normal night, Warren probably would have grabbed a blonde with nice tits and a brunette with nice legs and taken them anywhere with a working lock on the door, but on this particular night, even the tightest skirts wrapped around girls just begging him to lift them around their waists and bury his face in between their thighs weren't the slightest bit tempting to him. Instead, all his attention was on a certain LA girl with dark features and the voice of an angel. 

(Y/N) and Daisy were currently standing on a table, swaying their hips in a way that could only come naturally to girls who were stumbling out of clubs like these in tight dresses and runny makeup when they were 14. All of the men stared at them hungrily. All the girls tried to emulate their movements. But none could mimic the harmonies they sang over the random guitar melody playing. Their voices were enough to bring the roof down. 

Warren was in fucking awe.

He'd gotten used to Daisy's voice. The power in it, the way she sang from deep in her belly and sounded like her voice was traveling over rocks to produce the sound. Daisy's voice was the pure essence of rock n roll.

But (Y/N)? Her voice was hauntingly beautiful. And in the teal shimmery dress she's changed into for the after party, with slits on either side, she looked like she'd come from the depths of the sea to lure men in with her siren call. Her voice was alluring but dangerous. It pierced its way through Warren's heart, and in that moment, he would've done anything she asked him to. 

"Huh," he breathed out. "LA magic."

"What was that, love?" asked the red-haired girl who'd taken it upon herself to wrap her arms around his neck and move her body against his. 

"Excuse me," said Warren, shoving her off and walking towards (Y/N). A sailor drawn to a siren, he approached the table and called her name.

(Y/N)' s eyes widened happily when she saw him. "Warren!!" She climbed down from the table and wrapped him in a tight hug. "You did so well tonight, congratulations! The drumline in "Let Me Down Easy" made the entire number- no one could have played it better!" she yelled over the loud music.

Warren exhaled and smiled. "It's just nice to know someone's listening." 

(Y/N) let out a giggle, folding her lips before turning back to the table. "Daisy-jay!" she yelled at her friend. Daisy had already found another way to occupy herself, playing some sort of game involving vodka and a chocolate bunny. "Yeah, (Y/N/N)?"

"I'll be right back! Save me a shot!" (Y/N) yelled before grabbing Warren by the wrist and dragging him outside the club. 

The pair heard Daisy yell out ",Hey! Don't have too much fun you two!"

(Y/N) exhaled a deep breath, taking a few steps forward and staring up at the sky. "It's a full moon tonight, Warren."

Warren stood beside her. "Yeah, no stars though."

They looked back at each other, brown eyes meeting brown eyes in a warm dance. 

"There are never stars here," (Y/N) said with a smile. "Something called light pollution, I think. From all the city lights everywhere."

"I love the city lights. Seeing them reminds me that we made it. That we're really here." Warren closed his eyes for a moment. "But some nights I miss the stars. Back in Pitt, I could always see hundreds of stars from my window. Started chartin' em like I was part of Apollo 11 or something," he said shyly, letting out a dry chuckle.

"That's amazing, Warren." (Y/N) smiled at him so beautifully and kindly. He knew she meant it.

"I didn't know you were from Pittsburgh," she said.

"Mmhm. Been friends with all the guys since I was a kid. But I was actually born in Botogá. Shot over to the U.S. when I was three."

"Colombia?" 

Warren nodded with a smile.

(Y/N) hummed. "I guess now's a good time to mention that I've always had a thing for foreign men. Only guys I usually like more are drummers in rock bands," she said nonchalantly, looking back at the moon.

Meanwhile, Warren felt like his heart was in his fucking ass.

He swallowed nervously. "W-well I have a thing for Hollywood girls."

"Oh, really?" she said casually. 

"Yeah," Warren said, building up his confidence. "'S part of why I chose to move here. I knew that even if the music thing worked out, I'd still be able to find a girl from the city of angels to take me to heaven." Warren pushed a stray curl behind her ear, and for the first time in the whole night, (Y/N) was the nervous one.

Warren felt the change in dynamic immediately and decided to take a risk.  He leaned in,  searching (Y/N) 's eyes for any sign of rejection. When he saw none, he closed the gap between them, seizing her lips with his in a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling the tall man downwards. He grabbed her by her waist, exposed by the slit in her dress, pulling her closer. (Y/N) let out a small moan at the feeling of his touch on her skin, and Warren took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth, increasing the wetness accumulating between her legs.

The pair finally pulled away for air, staring deep into each other's eyes silently. 

"Do you want to see heaven, Rojas?" (Y/N) asked breathily. 

Warren's lips were swollen, and his pupils were dilated as he spoke, "I'll follow wherever you go, angel." 

(Y/N) caught his lips in a quick kiss before walking over to the phone booth and calling the taxi company. She'd never felt so much embarrassment as when she had to stifle her moans on the phone with the operator as Warren had followed her into the booth and began kissing and sucking up her arm to her shoulder and neck. Once he quickly figured out her weak spot was in between her jawline and her neck, he just continued on with the spot as if he was a starving man and her skin was his last meal. That, along with his large hands traveling up and down her body, almost caused (Y/N) to drop the phone, tear off her clothes, and sit on his lap on the dirty street corner. 

When the taxi finally arrived, (Y/N) 's embarrassment only grew as Warren pulled her to practically straddle him and stuck his tongue down her throat. She could feel the discomfort radiating from the driver. But when he started playing with her panties… well, then she said to hell with embarrassment.

It felt like they'd been in the taxi for an eternity when they finally arrived at the large house in Baldwin Hills. The lovers stumbled through the large door, fumbling with each other's clothes and sharing messy, maddening kisses as they fell on the couch. (Y/N) sat atop Warren, staring deep into his eyes. The feeling of his hands on her waist was making her feel crazy. 

"I want you inside me, Warren."

She didn't need to tell him twice.

˖°🌊🎐𓇼⋆🦪₊

January 2000

"At some point that night, I had every part of me in that woman," Warren reminisced with a chuckle. "Shit felt like joining the swim team. Shit, sorry Jules." Warren Rojas had aged handsomely. His once sleek black curly hair had grayed, and he'd developed wrinkles around his eyes. His hands were now rough and calloused from years of being a successful rock drummer who achieved many accolades before being inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of  Fame and retiring. He was the perfect picture of a had-been rockstar, a man now in his forties, tanned from days spent sitting out on his rusty old boat in the Marina. Some people might have pitied him, but he was content. 

"I forgot who I'm talking to. I'd appreciate it if you didn't keep that part in. I think Nina would die if she had to hear about her old man like that." 

Julia, now a woman grown and the spitting image of her mother with long, straight black hair and a camera at hand, was a far cry from the child Warren had known all those years ago. 

"Hard for me too, to tell you the truth," she said with a slightly awkward laugh. "So then what happened?"

"Well I think you know, kiddo. Love. War. Band called it quits." 

"With her, I mean."

Warren tensed up a bit. "Well, I loved her. Spent eight years with her, so I think he might've loved me too," he said with a smirk. "But we wanted different things, in the end. I wanted to slow down for a bit. Buy this boat, maybe have a few kids. I wanted success in the music world, but I wanted a wife and kids to share it with. She wanted to keep going. Being an "EGOT" at 24 wasn't enough, she wanted more. I've  always loved her for that. She has so much hunger for life. She wants to live. She nearly gave it all up to settle with me, but I loved her too much to block her dreams. And I loved her enough to let her go. Met Lisa back in '89, had Nina in '94. I'm happy with my life now. I feel like everyone thinks I'm this miserable, washed up drummer, but I'm happy with the life I built for myself."

"Do you still love (Y/N)?" asked Julia.

Warren smiled a sad smile and looked at his lap. "... I'll always love that girl. I see her in everything. I watch her life in pictures now. Hear her voice on the radio. You'll probably have to cut this out too… cause of Lisa, of course… but uh…"the man trailed off, and a haze fell over his eyes as if he was seeing flashes of the past.

"You know something? That night when I first met her, after… after we finished," he shot Julia a look, "I got up to get her a cup of water, and when I looked out of her kitchen window, I saw a shooting star. I'd barely seen two stars in my time spent in the city at that point. We'd just fuckin talked about it! But after that night with her? There one was, shooting across the sky."

Warren chuckled and shook his head. "Goddamn LA Girl Magic."

[basu-shokikita]

Nathan reacting to each member being removed Dethklok

Just a huge disclaimer forehand that I know not all the situations had the same gravity, etc. But I still wanted to talk about them because I think they're interesting.

I want to go in a crescendo of sorts so I'm not going through the episodes in chronological order.

Murderface and Toki

I'm starting with Dethsiduals (S3E07) because Toki and Murderface have been called useless by the rest of the band quite a few times, making them a bit of a slacking duo.

So, in this episode, Nathan, Pickles and Skwisgaar get all fed up with these two's behavior and decide to throw them out of the band. Nathan does the honors, of course.

At first, it's great. Their workload gets easier to deal with, managing to record several dozens of songs in mere hours. Pickles even says that kicking them out might have been the best choice.

That is until they realize, they're having TOO much fun. Their songs don't sound good because they're having fun. It's not brutal anymore, because They're so happy that it no longer is brutal, their music sucks instead. And you can't have Dethklok without brutality.

Eventually, they ask Murderface and Toki to come back, on the account that their sound simply isn't the same without them. It's definitely more focused on Murderface, though, as his negativity and aggressive behavior is partly the reason their music is brutal. Because he annoys them and criticizes them...

This theme makes a comeback in Army of Doomstar, of course.

Pickles

In Rehabklok (S3E08), where Pickles experiences is sent to rehab after a technical malfunction at a show.

Because they still need a drummer for the band, so they get a drum machine. Everyone is in awe and don't seem to find a problem with this change. Nathan even thinks it's perfect.

Though, he briefly wonders if this would make Pickles mad, only to be reassured by Skwisgaar that it's fine.

Sometime after, the drum machine has completely adapted to the band. The band can't stop praising the machine.

When Pickles comes back, no one seems too impressed and Nathan casually tells him that he's been replaced by the drum machine.

The drum machine gets too smug, though, and the band quickly grows tired of him. Also, Pickles has finished his last Rehab step which means he can join Dethklok again. And that they can get rid of this drum machine.

We all know how that goes, the drum machine tries to kill them and Pickles saves them. For which Dethklok are evidently grateful for, and also praise his return.

Skwisgaar

Finally, we get to Fatherklok (S3E05) where, in the search for his father, Skwisgaar abandons the band. Mind you this is the one instance where a member isn't kicked out but actually leaves off his own volition.

While Skwisgaar tries to make his new life in Sweden, Dethklok have a rehearsal. It doesn't go well. Toki is acting up because he's the only guitarist now, Murderface is too busy trying to contact Skwisgaar to care and Pickles' daddy issues are resurfacing. Rather than work this through, Nathan immediately decides to get Skwisgaar back from Sweden.

Problem is, when they get to Sweden, Skwisgaar doesn't seem to want to get back to Dethklok, which Nathan respects. Before leaving though, he gives Skwisgaar a few words.

We all know Skwisgaar quickly rejoins the band afterwards.

So what do we have here?

In Dethsiduals, the band is initially very glad to have kicked Murderface and Toki from the band. They feel like they work better without them, however it's a double-edged sword because they work too good, and that is not good for the band, in fact.

In Rehabklok, the whole band seems to be doing great with the drum machine replacing Pickles. With time, though, the machine's attitude puts them off and they're glad to have Pickles back with them.

In Fatherklok, the only sort of positive reaction to Skwisgaar leaving seems to be coming from Toki, who dreams of finally being the lead guitarist. Murderface and Pickles are too wrapped in their own bullshit to notice anything. But Nathan? Nathan doesn't like the band without Skwisgaar. We don't have a single moment of him enjoying Skwisgaar's absence and clearly wants him back.

Now, like I said at the beginning of the post, I know all these episodes had different types of situations. Toki and Murderface were in a month-long suspension, not officially kicked out. Pickles' rehab did imply he was coming back at some point. Skwisgaar was the only one that actually left Mordhaus physically and Dethklok as whole...so it makes sense Nathan had a wildly different reaction to the latter compared to the other two.

However, I think it's still very telling, that not even once did Nathan consider that the band was better without Skwisgaar. In Dethsiduals and Rehabklok, you have Nathan actually satisfied at first with the new state of the band. But in Fatherklok, this never happens. Instead, Nathan very quickly grows annoyed with the remaining three and believes getting Skwisgaar back is the solution to fix Dethklok.

The last part, especifically. By the end of their respective episodes, Nathan did want Murderface (+ Toki) and Pickles to come back, but so did the other side, which made the reunion easier. Nathan didn't really have to do a lot to make them join again. In Fatherklok, however, Nathan and the rest of Dethklok physically go to Sweden to recruit Skwisgaar back, to which Skwisgaar sharply refuses. In his own, emotionally constipated way, Nathan then compliments Skwisgaar before walking away, calling him nothing short of exceptional and special.

Nathan doesn't want Skwisgaar back in the band because Skwisgaar's lack of skill and bad attitude improve their music somehow like Murderface. He doesn't want Skwisgaar back because Skwisgaar's not an arrogant sex machine like the drumming robot (ironically, Skwisgaar is very much this in all probability). He wants Skwisgaar because he just does. Because the band is not the same without him. Because Toki can't replace him as lead guitarist. Because their dynamic is falling apart without him around. Nathan wants Skwisgaar to return to the band because both musically and personally, he values him. Skwisgaar is a hard worker, and easy to get along with for him (Skwisgaar does reserve his arrogance towards Toki and Murderface after all). Skwisgaar doesn't make him mad like Murderface and Toki with their entitlement, Skwisgaar isn't irresponsible like Pickles can be with his habits. In Nathan's eyes, Skwisgaar is essentially a good presence in the band that doesn't pose him problems, and it's exactly why he's the member Nathan can easily recognize as key.

And thus, it is no surprise to anyone that these two stick together in Nathan's next project after the band breaks up. Of course, the project seems more like a tantrum than anything else but it's still worth noting that they agreed to stay together for it.

While Murderface, Toki and Pickles embarked in projects unrelated to music, Nathan and Skwisgaar stuck with music exactly. What's even more interesting is that Nathan's trying to get away from Dethklok's sound, yet wants Skwisgaar, an elemental part of Dethklok, to be part of this new idea.

Surprise! This was a Nategaar post all along. >:)

No, but jokes aside, I think of their relationship a lot. The subtle compatibility. Unlike Pickles and Nathan's friendship where they're close enough to go at each other's neck and make up later, Skwisgaar and Nathan's is much more quiet, but it's latent. Because they're both awkward but hard-working and highly perfectionist people, it's more evident when it comes to music.

In addition, Skwisgaar is essentially the one member Nathan has never truly gotten mad at. We've seen him constantly be irritated by Murderface, have serious issues with Pickles and even have a fight with Toki in Skwisklok (S1E10). With Skwisgaar, however, it seems like their relationship is much easier. They understand each other both on a professional and friendship level.

They might not be each other's most intense or even most important relationship, but it's the kind of relationship where you know the other person will always have your back. The type that's both easy and comforting. I love them.

[cherrylng]

Great Guitarists 100 - Matthew Bellamy and Jack White [CROSSBEAT (November 2009)]

Matthew Bellamy Who is commonly known as "The Prince". It's an apt description. He is fluent not only on the guitar but also on the piano, and his beautiful melodies are worthy of such a name. Of course, the guitars he holds in his hands are all "prince" guitars. The custom-built guitars, assembled by a former Led Zeppelin guitar tech, are a perfect reflection of Matthew's taste. It even has a shiny aluminium coating and laser beams emanating from all over the body. When asked who his favourite composer was, he replied: "I guess the Romantics. I like Liszt, Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky." Asked about his musical background, he replies, "Robert Johnson and Ray Charles". What is your background as a guitarist? "I was attracted to Spanish guitar and studied it for about six months." Of course, Matthew doesn't hide his influences from grunge and heavy rock, but he also blends them with non-rock elements, which is his style. However, even though it is mixed, it is not an American-style hodgepodge. It's smart. Gorgeous all the way. In his songwriting, he always pays attention to beauty, based on melodies of classical origin. His choice of notes, overflowing with such a narcissistic sense of beauty, is the main reason why he is nicknamed the "Prince". -Junya Shimofusa

Representative albums "Origin of Symmetry" (2001, photo) Muse "Absolution" (2003) "Black Holes and Revelations" (2006)

Jack White When the White Stripes first appeared on the scene, the simplicity of the band's formation - just a drummer and guitarist - was quite shocking, even in the garage rock revival, when guitar sounds directly connected to amplifiers were at their height. It was Jack's superb guitar playing that made this possible. “Falling Love With a Girl” distorts elements of his biggest influence, the blues, with ferocious fuzz, "Seven Nation Army", is a one-idea riff turned into a killer tune. And 2007's "Icky Thump", which strengthened the influence of 70s hard rock from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and others, and also incorporated flamenco into their own style. However, the way he plays a series of creative riffs in a restricted space makes him truly the Jimmy Page of today. Jimmy himself has praised him as 'the best guitarist of recent times', and his popularity as an artist is extremely high. His sound, which is based on a thoroughly subtractive aesthetic, is a clear counterpoint to the post-rock/electronica that dominated the underground at the end of the 1990s and to the cheap guitar sounds of the mainstream. The impact of his music, along with that of The Strokes, defined the atmosphere of the 00s. -Hitoshi Sugiyama

Representative albums "White Blood Cells" (2001, photo) The White Stripes "Elephant" (2003) "Icky Thump" (2007)

Translator's Note: Well, this is the highlight. We've finally reached it. But we're not at the end yet.

[thebaffledcaptain]

Musicians' Uniforms in the Revolutionary War

(Artwork by the legendary Don Troiani)

A favorite descriptor of mine states that British drummers and fifers of the Georgian era were "birds of very gay plumage throughout the whole of the 18th century," a phrase which has irrevocably rooted itself in my head whenever I think of these colorful lads. Often there is curiosity about the vibrant getup of these gents, simply because they blatantly don't fit in with the rest of their units—which happens to be precisely the point.

The reason behind these colorful coats is that musicians had to be the most stand-out members of their regiment: they functioned as the voice of the officers on the battlefield and therefore had to be easily locatable at any given time. Officers would communicate via their musicians in order to convey significant large-scale orders, such as to retreat or cease fire—orders you can imagine quick communication would be vital for—and in the fog of war it would have been difficult to pick a handful of musicians out of a sea of similarly-uniformed men-at-arms. Thus, the musicians wore the inverse colors of their regiments, with the regimental facing colors becoming the main color of the coat, and (in the case of the British army) the standard red coat color becoming the color of the facings. The fellow pictured above is a drummer from the 63rd Regiment of Foot, which was faced with "very dark green" according to the 1768 clothing warrant, and thus the green is the body color of his coat.

These uniforms were also elaborately ornamented with the regimental lace pattern, as you can see above, whereas on the coats of men-at-arms this lace was restricted to the buttonholes on the facings. The smallclothes would still generally be white or buff, matching whichever color smallclothes the men-at-arms wore, unless the regiment was faced in white or buff, in which case the smallclothes would be red so they wouldn’t be the same color as the coat. The regulations were quite specific, as you can tell, but it serves to emphasize the degree of importance the musician held in the 18th century army.

There is some debate as to whether musicians wore cocked hats or bearskins, like the drummer pictured above. Musicians were technically considered part of the grenadier company of a regiment, which is why they bear red "wings" on the shoulders of their uniform and why they often wore bearskins, but there exists evidence of them wearing cocked hats, as well, so it seems likely that depending on the regiment they could have worn either. They would be armed only with a short sword worn across the waist, as they generally were not expected to participate in actual combat. The instruments themselves also functioned as part of the uniform, in ways: the regimental drum was always painted in the facing color of the regiment, and in the case of fifers, the fife sling would also be colored according to the regimental colors—see the 22nd Regiment's "candy colored cord,” as we call it, below (as well as the red smallclothes, as they are a buff-faced regiment... featuring myself and my janky uniform on the right!).

(Photo by Jeff Bross)

As far as I know the Continental Army generally abided by these same practices, which is why you occasionally get instances of the "American redcoat": certain musicians from the Continental army wore red coats with blue facings, looking much like their British adversaries, because they came from Continental regiments faced with red. This kind of cross-army confusion did not occur with the British, however, as those regiments faced in blue were the Royal regiments, and, in accordance with this honor, the musicians of these regiments kept the standard red coat with blue facings as opposed to inverting them (they were, however, still distinguishable by their copious amounts of lacing). Just goes to show that not every red coat is a Redcoat, and not every Redcoat wears a red coat!

[theeverglades]

Welcome to the Graham Coxon RP Account!

Scenario: During a live show one of his fans randomly yelled "DO YOU HAVE TUMBLR" which peaked his interest in the app and now he's made one for fun!

Please be 15 or Older to enter this account due to mature topics like Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, and Violence being mentioned within the mess that will be this account

Please note that I am not the real Graham Coxon nor do I know the real Graham Coxon, I am just a simple fan with a simple goal to have fun with this account like all the other rock RP accounts

If you aren't comfortable with this account just block it and move on, nobody cares what you do just don't send death threats or harassment to me or the other rock band accounts.

Other Accounts

Kathleen Hanna: @bikinikillhanna

Gwen Stefani: @gwenstefoubt

George Harrison: @gardengrampa

Bands

Blur

Blur are an English rock band formed in London in 1988. The band consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bass guitarist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.

Their debut album, Leisure (1991), incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegaze. Following a stylistic change influenced by English guitar pop groups such as the Kinks, the Beatles and XTC, Blur released the albums Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993), Parklife (1994) and The Great Escape (1995).

As a result, the band helped to popularise the Britpop genre and achieved mass popularity in the UK, aided by a widely publicised chart battle with rival band Oasis in 1995 dubbed "The Battle of Britpop

The Jaded Hearts Club

The Jaded Hearts Club is an English rock supergroup and covers band consisting of Miles Kane (of the Rascals and Last Shadow Puppets), Nic Cester (of Jet), Matt Bellamy (of Muse), Graham Coxon (of Blur), Jamie Davis (of Coxon's former label Transcopic) and Sean Payne (of the Zutons)

The Waeve

The Waeve (stylised as The WAEVE) are an English band formed in London, in 2021 by singer-songwriters and musicians Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall.

They describe their music as "a liquid meeting of musical minds and talents. A powerful elixir of cinematic British folk-rock, post-punk, organic songwriting and freefall jamming." They released their debut album, The Waeve, in 2023.

BLOODWITCH

In February 2020, Coxon released an album for the fictional band Bloodwitch, to be a part of the soundtrack of the Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This, featuring singer Tatyana Richaud.

Information on Graham Coxon

Early life

Coxon was born on 12 March 1969 in Rinteln, West Germany, where his father, Bob Coxon, was stationed as a clarinet player and band leader in the British Army.

As a child, he moved first to Spondon, Derby, England, a period during which he became a fan of Derby County.

He then moved to Colchester, Essex, England, where he grew up and met fellow Blur member Damon Albarn at The Stanway School, then known as Stanway Comprehensive, at the age of 11.

At the beginning of their relationship, Coxon would play the saxophone on Albarn's original songs before playing the guitar in several small Colchester bands. He appeared on the popular BBC children's show Blue Peter twice.

Blur

Coxon studied Fine Arts at Goldsmiths College, London, for two years, where early on he met bassist Alex James.

In his time there he mixed with upcoming talents such as Damien Hirst, Michael Landy, Sam Taylor-Wood, and Abigail Lane, some of the future leading lights of the Britart movement. His musical interests were heavily influenced by Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, whose work he had discovered by 1986.

He quit college due to the increasing success of his band at the time, Seymour, which later changed its name to Blur because the recording company, Food Records, thought Seymour was too 'student-ish'.

They presented a list to the band of preferred names which included "The Shining Path" and "Blur". As well as providing all guitars, backing vocals, and occasional drums, Coxon's lo-fi and alternative musical style and tastes influenced the band's less commercial music in the late 1990s.

He sang lead vocals on songs including "Red Necks", "You're So Great" from the album Blur, and "Coffee & TV", as well as a section of the chorus of "Tender", the bridge of "Lonesome Street" and a section of "Thought I Was a Spaceman" on The Magic Whip.

During the 1995 period of the media-dubbed 'Battle of Britpop', Coxon became increasingly weary and suspicious of the music industry.

His behaviour was occasionally awkward, such as refusing to appear in the video for Blur song "Country House" unless he could dress as a milkman and take no part in any action with which he felt uncomfortable.

In November 2001, Coxon was admitted to the Priory Hospital for 28 days to be treated for alcoholism. During this time, Blur began the recording sessions that would produce the material for their next album, Think Tank.

In February 2002, Coxon rejoined the band in the studio for the rest of the recording of Think Tank but after five days was asked by then manager Chris Morrison not to go back into the studio as the other members of the band had reported that the session was not going too well with him present.

Coxon took this as a sign and left the band. As he stated in an interview in 2006, "I had a breakthrough, I think my life just became calmer, I gave up drinking.

My priorities changed as I had a young daughter. The group didn't want me to record for the Think Tank album, so I took it as a sign to leave".

His last contribution to Blur was a song called "Battery in Your Leg", the closing song on Blur's 2003 album Think Tank, before leaving the line-up. Damon Albarn later revealed that the song "Sweet Song" was written after he had been looking at a photograph of Coxon.

After Damon Albarn's revealing that he and Coxon had rebuilt their relationship, on 9 December 2008, Blur announced that the whole band would reunite for a show at Hyde Park on 3 July 2009.

More dates were announced and the band played festival dates at Glastonbury, T in the Park and Oxegen 2009 as well as headlining shows in Manchester, Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Goldsmiths College and the East Anglian Railway Museum in Colchester. Blur also played one show in Lyon, France.

On 17 April 2010, the band released their first single since 2003, "Fool's Day", for the Record Store Day event as a 7" limited to 1000 copies.

The band released the single as a free download on their official website the next day.

More recently Blur announced via the NME website that they would reunite every so often and record more singles, preferably on 7 inch. However, Damon also stated that an album was not on its way as they were all too busy with their own individual projects.

On 19 February 2015, Coxon and the band announced on social media that they would be releasing their eighth studio album on 27 April, titled The Magic Whip, Blur's first album in 12 years and first in 16 years in their original lineup.

Solo work

Coxon had already released three solo albums while a member of Blur before his 2002 departure.

His first, The Sky Is Too High was released on his own Transcopic label in 1998.

This was followed by The Golden D in 2000 and Crow Sit on Blood Tree in 2001.

After going solo full-time, he released The Kiss of Morning in 2002. The album was promoted with the single "Escape Song". In 2004, Coxon released his fifth solo album Happiness in Magazines, produced by ex-Blur and The Smiths producer Stephen Street.

This proved to be his most successful album to date, and he received the NME Award for Best Solo Artist in 2005.

In March 2006 he released his sixth solo album, called Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, again produced by Stephen Street. It marked Coxon's first album away from his now-defunct indie label 'Transcopic'.

The LP was preceded by the singles "Standing on My Own Again" on 27 February and "You & I". Coxon embarked on a tour of the UK, starting at Newcastle University.

He was also involved in a single supporting the England national football team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The song was a re-working of the Sham 69 hit "Hurry Up Harry", and was released as "Sham 69 and The Special Assembly" (as well as Coxon and Sham 69, Virgin Radio DJ Christian O'Connell, who had run a competition on his show to find a band to record a song in support of the team, was involved in the recording of the song). "Hurry Up England" entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 10.

In October 2006, Coxon released a double live album Burnt to Bitz: At the Astoria immediately after his sold-out London Astoria show. The album features 27 songs, with at least one song from each of his albums. In July 2007 Coxon released a single with Paul Weller, called "This Old Town". The single peaked at No. 39 in the UK Singles Chart.

Coxon's seventh 15-track studio album titled The Spinning Top, produced again by Stephen Street, was released on 11 May 2009.

Coxon stated that the LP, which is primarily acoustic, followed a narrative – the story of a man from birth to death.

"The album is mainly an acoustic journey although there is, of course, some explosive electric guitar action," he explained. "There are some guests too! Robyn Hitchcock supplies some counter-attack guitar, Jas Singh plays dilruba and jori with his friends Gurjit Sembhi on taus and Jaskase Singh on esraj.

Danny Thompson plays the legendary Victoria, Graham Fox gives plenty of swing on the drums and sizzle cymbals and Louis Vause tinkles the ivories."

Pre-release response had been positive, with Monday Field of Frank Booth Review dubbing the album "a staggering artistic achievement, and Coxon's best solo release to date."

His eighth solo album A+E was released in April 2012.

Coxon wrote and recorded the score for the 2017 Channel 4 / Netflix television series The End of the F***ing World; it was his first original score.

The soundtrack was released in January 2018.

In September of the same year, Coxon embarked on a solo tour in North America that featured some of the songs from his score.

In February 2020, Coxon released an album for the fictional band Bloodwitch, to be a part of the soundtrack of the Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This, featuring singer Tatyana Richaud.

In 2021, Coxon published Superstate, a graphic novel accompanied by a studio album of the same name, bringing the concept of a dystopian futuristic universe. The cover art, much like most of his solo works, was illustrated by himself.

Following in 2023, the folk rock band The Waeve, consisting of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall as members, released their debut self-titled album, with an England-wide tour.

Transcopic and other contributions

Coxon's independent label, Transcopic, was co-managed with his friend, and then business partner, Jamie Davis. Davis now runs Independent label Ark Recordings.

Coxon illustrated and designed all of his own album art, and collaborated with his friend Nick Craske creating abstract digital work for the release of The Spinning Top; they also filmed two music videos, "Sorrow's Army" and "'In The Morning".

Coxon also continued painting a series of personal work, most of which remained unseen until 2004, when he exhibited at the ICA in London.

Coxon has also been involved in remixing other peoples tracks, including Idlewild and Lowgold both of which were released as b-sides and the latter remix was later re-released on the bands anthology release Keep Music Miserable.

In September 2006, Coxon revealed a musical soundscape, "english shoes squeek", created especially for "Verheaven" an exhibition at London's Riflemaker Gallery of the work of artist Julie Verhoeven.

Coxon appeared on John McCusker's Under One Sky, providing the song "All Has Gone".

In 2009, Coxon was involved in the creation of the Pete Doherty solo album Grace/Wastelands.

Doherty had entered a period of sobriety, during which he holed up with Coxon to work on his debut solo album, Grace/Wasteland, (released 24 March 2009) a diverse collection of 12 songs that bounce between reggae and Doherty's standard post-punk. Coxon played on all but one track on the album.

Solo studio albums

The Sky Is Too High (1998)

The Golden D (2000)

Crow Sit on Blood Tree (2001)

The Kiss of Morning (2002)

Happiness in Magazines (2004)

Love Travels at Illegal Speeds (2006)

The Spinning Top (2009)

A+E (2012)

The End of the F***ing World (Original Songs And Score) (2018)

The End of the F***ing World 2 (Original Songs And Score) (2019)

I Am Not Okay with This (as Bloodwitch) (Original Songs And Score) (2020)

Superstate (2021, in association with Z2 Comics)

BLUR Studio albums

Leisure (1991)

Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)

Parklife (1994)

The Great Escape (1995)

Blur (1997)

13 (1999)

Think Tank (2003)

The Magic Whip (2015)

The Ballad of Darren (2023)

[master-john-uk]

There are so many wonderful photographs of the Coronation... but there is one hero of the day who has been largely ignored by the mainstream media... My friend Seamus.

Seamus, (officially titled Turlough Mor, 17th Regimental Mascot of the Irish Guards) looked immaculate in his newly tailored scarlet jacket as he led the troops to the garden of Buckingham Palace on Saturday. Just two days earlier, Seamus had celebrated his third birthday... but, he was sensible and didn't drink too much Guinness!

Seamus joined the British Army when he was 6 months old in 2020. He did not have a problem in completing his basic training, aided by Drummer Adam Walsh. However, initially he was a little uncomfortable when soldiers wearing big furry hats and playing loud musical instruments kept following him around. He eventually learnt to ignore the pipers and drummers... after all, they needed to go for walkies too!

Then Seamus became distracted by people standing on the pavement watching, and some called out his name. He wanted to bound over to them and say "hello", but Drummer Walsh wouldn't let him.

Early in 2022, there were concerns that Seamus would not be ready to take part in Trooping The Colour to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, due to his youthful exuberance. At an informal meeting with off-duty "Micks", I had a little word in Seamus's big hairy ear. He promised me that he would try harder to be a good boy, as he did not want to miss The Queen's Official Birthday. Seamus kept his word, and behaved very well at the Trooping The Colour parade... although he was a little restless at Horse Guards when he had to stand to attention for such a long time.

Now Seamus has successfully taken part in the largest ceremonial event for seventy years. Probably the pinnacle of his military career.

Well done you, Seamus! I will be bringing some special treats next time I visit the barracks.

[nightbringer24]

For @thepromiscuousfinger:

The role of musicians in military history really did change with regards to the introduction of the musket (for intents and purposes in this Ciaran-talk, I will refer to all muzzle-loading firearms fired by an externally stored load of powder and shot as a musket just for brevity's sake) from what it was historically.

Yes, the standard for the military musician in history was to play music to move to, a way to keep time on the march, a way for the military group to signal that "We are here. Get out of our way or die", and a way to give orders on the battlefield during a battle. And that was largely it. To borrow a tabletop wargaming term, they were just part of the 'command group' of the army. Whether they were the Roman tubicines or cornicen, or the Medieval clarion. These wouldn't be amazingly skilled and super talented musicians being able of banging out their equivalent of Free Bird on request.

There was a shift as the nature of warfare changed, going from the Medieval period's retinue and battalia to the pike and shot formations of the Spanish tercio. Yes, the Roman legion was a complex beast, but the introduction of muskets, pikes and the formations and drilling necessary to prepare and drill them was another beast altogether. The men were drilled differently, and thus the musicians had to change too. Musical signals became more complex, more standardized in a sense, as they were no longer just music for the men to enjoy. They fully became signals for them to obey, and not just on the scale of the army, but also for singular regiments to obey too.

As this meant there had to be a degree of intelligence and knowledge to carry out, many of these musicians would have been young lads from the gentry. Considered young enough to be sent into battle, but not old enough to kill. This meant they would read music, understand music, but also be able to read and write in their own right. This made them superbly skilled as message runners between officers, not just in their own armies, but also between armies too. In Western Europe, French was the lingua franca (duh) of the nobility, so it would be readily taught and understood. This meant that young musicians would be given duties of minor diplomacy as well.

And the other duty, which really does not get talked a lot about in the era of muskets and with regards to the often present but overlooked drummer boys: body removal. Men died and were wounded in battle. But while the former could be left where they lay during a battle, the latter had to be moved to the rear of the line. And this was the duty of the musicians in a regiment. So these young boys, probably no older than maybe 14, maybe 12 or younger, would have to see men lamed and injured by musket shot, pike or sword, coming towards them, and direct them to the rear of the line, either to a nearby surgeon's tent if they were near one, or just into a little group of injured men who hoped they would get seen to after a battle.

There's more to it than that, but that's my talk on it.

[kittysamzkewlz19]

Medusa Ex Makina

Prologue: And the Winner is…

Rated: M for Mature

Warnings: None

Author’s note: This is a redo of the Prologue from my art blog, @kattartsblog from here on out I will be posting future chapters and canon Makina events here. Vignettes and other silly events outside of the main plot will be on the art blog.

It had been 3 years after the events of “Army of the Doomstar”. Dethklok was asked to judge the third annual “Doom-opolis”, a battle of the bands styled competition that also was a celebration of Dethklok saving the world from utter destruction. It was down to the final 3 groups; the Ska punk group, PulsinG, the Idol group, Jennifer’s Corpse, and the emo metal band Lycan RIOT. Nathan really didn’t want to be there, he was disappointed by the lack of creativity and spark the two acts he sat through were. He was already anticipating Lycan RIOT to be just as lackluster. Nathan had decided it was best to stretch his legs and wander about a bit before the band had to make their final decision. His mindless wandering ended him backstage where Lycan RIOT excitedly waited for their turn. Or at least their singer was excited. She peaked behind one of the curtains to see an ocean of cheering. Her eyes filled with excitement, “Isn’t this awesome?! We’re in the finals and Dethklok is here! I mean, even if we don’t win the prize, our names will be in lights and we can say that we opened for THE Dethklok! We gotta make every second count.” The singer’s bandmates were not as enthused, the guitarist put a hand on her shoulder, “Maki, look man. We’ve been friends since high school. And you brought us all together. But now… damn, what I’m trying to say is-"

"We’re done screwin’ around!” shouted the band’s drummer. “We got new jobs ‘n’ lives now, like normal gits. We got no time or dosh for your little doolally! Yer rockstar dream’s stone dead!” The singer furrowed her brow, fury and sadness had overcome her, “Are you serious right now?! Look at how close we are, how far we’ve come! And you guys have the nerve to just throw out this dream we built?!” The dark haired woman began shedding tears, slightly smudging her corpse paint, “After years of hard work, the countless failed gigs, and even a freaking catastrophic apocalypse; you’re all going to quit?!” The man with the ponytail nodded, “We’ve moved on from this shindig ‘Dusy, so pull yer head outta yer arse.” The purple haired one had hummed in agreement, “We’re bound to fail, so let’s make this our final show.” The woman clenched her teeth, there was a fiery anger burning deep in her soul. But it was covered by devastation in her voice. “Fine then, after this performance…” she sighed, “We break up.” Nathan heard the shakiness in her voice, he could tell that this was a passion of the lady. It was something he could relate to. Music was his calling, he wouldn’t be the man he was without it. “Oh and we’re changing the fucking song.”

“What, we could get disqualified!” The bassist exclaimed. “Well it doesn’t matter anymore to you, right? If we’re performing together for the last time, I wanna go out with a bang.” The announcer calls Lycan RIOT to the stage as Nathan watches in the distance, the rage festering in the young lady was something almost refreshing to him. But then that’s when Nathan felt a chill in the air, his eyes widened. The way she carried herself on stage gave him a fright. He stood there frozen in awe. It was as if he was staring at a mirror. The woman reminded him of his younger years; the frustration to start something big, the passion she possessed, and the sheer raw emotion from her stance alone was enough to make him almost crack a manic grin. Nathan didn’t quite know what he was feeling. He was reminded of the vision from the whale prophet all those years ago, to be the hand. Maybe this time it was a different kind of hand? The lady looked down at the stage, closed her eyes, raised her microphone in a pair of devil horns, and then… “FFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCCKKK!” She growled, then a very familiar melody began to play.

Meanwhile, back in the VIP booth, Skwisgaar leaped out of his seat and ran to the railing with eyes widened with a sense of horror, disgust, and genuine surprise. “HOLYS SHIT THEMS PLAYINGS OUR SONGS!” The swede exclaimed. Murderface and Toki got up to join him, “Hey yeah, didn’t they submit a different piece?!” Murderface exclaimed, “They’re breaking the rules!” Toki nodded in agreement. The vocalist roared and screamed her heart out, the melody became clear and soon Pickles realized what song they were covering. Hatredcopter, a song that was meant to be sung as a duet, but now both parts were being sung by one artist. He had laughed at other covers in this style that failed to meet his expectations before, but not this time. Pickles couldn’t look away at the young singer. The raw emotion being poured out onto the stage, every note was in perfect pitch, and even the girl’s lowest death growl delighted him. “I’m kinda impressed, what do you think Nathan?” The ginger haired man looked towards his left and Nathan was not there. Backstage, Nathan’s heart began to beat fast, the sheer power in this girl’s voice him feel something. However something strange began to occur, there was a slight tinge of a green aura surrounding her. Initially, Nathan thought it was the lighting but now he see that there was something more mysterious at play. The large man gripped his chest, he wanted to run onto the stage and just talk to her but instead he just listened to the harmony of a duet being sung by one vocalist. Once the song was over, Makina raised the microphone to the sky holding it in a set of devil horns and chucked it straight into the face of an audience member, breaking their nose and teeth. “Wowie, that’s ams brutals!” Toki exclaimed, Murderface started laughing his ass off, “Ha! That guy had it coming!” The crowd cheered and applauded at the violence from the vocalist, it almost made Nathan chuckle a little bit. This performance was the best Dethklok had witnessed all night, but the only one that had the balls to cover one of their songs!

The announcer asked the audience to wait for the results as Lycan RIOT was then escorted off stage and into the green room. Nathan watched on, “Ok it’s over. You can go now.” the woman hissed, crossing her arms. “Whatevuh. Toddle off then, ‘Dusy.” the drummer said, flipping her off as the rest of the group packed up their stuff. Alone in the green room, the woman saw the bottle of champagne and popped it open. She had originally bought it for the group as a celebratory reward, now it was to be used to drown out her sadness. She didn’t bother pouring it in a cup and began chugging it down like a frat boy at a house party. Seething, she punched the wall as hard as she could, her knuckles began to bleed. Nothing mattered to her, she began to open the wine bottle on the vanity table and poured herself a glass. After taking a swig, she flopped her head in her arms on the vanity and began to silently cry. Nathan’s face grew concerned and without thinking, he knocked on the door. The woman rolled her eyes, “Chester I swear to fucking god if you left something I-” she was now face to face with Nathan. His intimidating size made her shiver, “Uh… Hi.” Nathan said and gave a slight wave. “Mind if I join you?” The lady nodded, “Sorry for the outburst. I thought you were someone else.” The woman gestured to Nathan as he entered the room. “You put on one hell of a performance.”

“Thank you, god I wish it didn’t have to end like this.” The woman sniffed as she swirled around her champagne. “Are you ok man?” Nathan asked, tears began to well up in the woman’s eyes but she violently wiped them away. “I’m fine, it’s just been a rough night. But nothing a little booze can’t fix, right?" She lied jokingly. Nathan invited himself in and sat on the couch. He pondered for a moment and tried to say something positive, “You were pretty brutal up there.” She giggled at the comment, “You don’t have to lie, I looked like a toddler with a temper tantrum.” Nathan shook his head, “No I mean it, it was great.” The vocalist smiled and thanked him. Just then, there was another knock at the door, this time it was a stage hand. “Excuse me, are you a part of Lycan RIOT?” The black haired woman nodded, “Sorry to interrupt, but your charcuterie board has arrived.” The lady thanked the stage hand and placed it on the table. “I was supposed to drink and eat with my stupid band to celebrate a job well done, but they left me to drown. And I can't finish this all by my- Wait, where are my manners? Would you like some?” Nathan nodded and took some cheese and crackers, she continued on. Something in his blackened heart shifted as she spoke. He wanted to reach out. But he couldn’t. Instead he kept listening. The woman stuffed a few pieces of cheese in her mouth, “I do all of the manager stuff, I got us this gig, and we practice like crazy. But no, they leave me high and dry!”

“Damn kid that sucks!” Nathan stated, “I mean you guys slaughtered that set. Kinda ballsy doing a Dethklok song though, let alone a duet.”

“It was a risk I was willing to take. I know we’ll get disqualified, but I hope that Dethklok had a good laugh out of it. I bet right now they’re probably disgusted with us.” Nathan smirked, “What do you think they’re saying right now?”

“Heh, probably something like ‘What a bunch of self righteous idiots. They sucked assholes! And that singer, who does she think she is?’” she chuckled but her breath began to stifle, her heart began to spill out, “What a poser, she is nothing more than an ugly wannabe loser who’s going to die alone. I mean really, wow. Her singing was like a little kid learning how to do a monster voice. How fucking pathetic!” The vocalist curled up in her chair and hugged her knees, she felt like the world was crashing down around her as she kept on venting. For some odd reason, Nathan wanted to comfort her. He wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay and that she wasn’t who she said she was. But his hesitancy bit his tongue, he mindlessly walked toward the spiraling singer. The woman snapped back to reality when she saw Nathan hulking over her, he knelt down to her level and quietly stared at her with a look of calm understanding in his eyes. Nathan finally spoke up, “You know what, fuck your old band. You were more metal by yourself than with those dildos! And sure Dethklok would laugh, but I don’t think it would be at you.” The lady was stunned at such kind words from a complete stranger. The vocalist aggressively wiped her tears away again, this time messing up her already tear stained makeup, “Ack, sorry. I just kinda drowned there for a second. Look at me talking too much again.” she sighed, “Thank you for listening to my stupidity.” She looked towards the bottle of champagne, “You can have the booze and the snacks. I think I’m gonna grab an uber home.” Nathan backed away slowly to give her some space and straighten herself out in her chair. “By the way, I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Nathan.”

“Nathan… I’ll remember that. I’m Makina Gorgon, that’s why they call me Medusa.” she smiled pitifully, trying to play off her sadness. Makina made little devil horns with her hands and winked playfully. Just then there was a sound coming towards the green room, a voice called out along with a set of footsteps. “Nathan, come on where the-. AH! There you are, come on we’re going up soon.” Pickles looked over at Makina who’s mascara was clearly messed up from crying. “Oh hey, you’re that singer from Lycan RIOT. That was metal as fuck, great pipes kid.” Makima blinked hard and fast, were her eyes deceiving her at this very moment? Pickles grabbed Nathan’s arm and began to drag him out of the room, “Come on man, let’s go!” Then the realization finally set in, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red and her hands were shaking. “It was nice chatting with you, Medusa.” He said smiling as he exited the room, following Pickles out. Makina’s heart sank, the man who she was venting all her stupid little problems to was none other than Nathan motherfucking Explosion, the Nathan Explosion.

Nathan and Pickles regrouped with the rest of Dethklok, “Ah there you are.” The announcer greeted the two, “Gentlemen, we need you to make a decision before you go on stage. Which of the finalists should win?”

“Lycan RIOT.” Nathan stated bluntly, “They had my attention and deserve to win.”

“I second that vote, they were entertaining.” Pickles chimed in. “I agrees too! The lady singers was like if Nathans was a womens!” Toki gleefully exclaimed. “I would agree too. But I think those idiots had a lot of balls to cover us, especially since they broke the rules.” Murderface interrupted. “What rules?” Nathan asked. “It’s like that stupid European contest, they played a different song than the one they submitted.”

“That’s bullshit!”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but, for once, Murderface is right.” The announcer straightened his tie, “They would be disqualified by default. Also for a number of other reasons. I’m sorry, but you all cannot vote for Lycan RIOT. We also received word that all the members left without a trace.”

“Damns, so it’s betweens that skas-punk trash heaps or dumb internets rap kids. Such disgustings choosinings.” Skwisgaar sneered. “Hold on a second, not all of Lycan RIOT left. The lead’s still here, I can find her. I’ll be back.” Nathan ran back to the green room. All Makina wanted to do was hide away in a hole 16 leagues under the sea. She debated whether to stay and watch the show or get that uber she promised herself. But before she could make that decision, Nathan bursted through the doorway. “DON’T LEAVE!” He yelled, “I NEED YOU TO STAY HERE, GOT IT?” And just like that Nathan left to join the other members of Dethklok onstage. Regrouping back with his band, Nathan pointed to the green room. “You, dildo, she’s still there. Make sure she doesn’t leave!” Pickles was surprised by Nathan’s words, he had never seen the raven haired man so adamant before on anything. Makina hesitated and cautiously walked near the wings, peeking from backstage. She could hear the sound of Guts Punch Balls Throw Up begin to play, her stomach twisted. What exactly was happening?

After Dethklok’s performance, the announcer was handed a microphone, “Alright, it’s time for our judges to make a final decision. What’s your verdict fellas?” Nathan looked to his band and then towards the wings, “We decided that Lycan RIOT should win.”

“Ooh, I’m sorry. Unfortunately, due to Lycan RIOT breaking some rules and some faces, they will be disqualified from the competition. So Dethklok, which band is going to win Doom-opolis this year?” Nathan snatched the microphone from the announcer, “We said Lycan RIOT wins, got it?” The frontman said more firmly. “But, they’re not even here! No representatives, no win! And like I stated before the band was disqualified.“

“WHO GIVES A SHIT!” Nathan shouted defensively. Meanwhile in the wings, Makina was utterly stunned when her band’s name was called. “We, Dethklok, have decided that Lycan- no, that Medusa should take the golden facebones.” She couldn’t believe it, Makina actually won something?! Maybe her string of putrid luck was finally coming to an end. At that moment she knew she had to stick a middle finger to the world and accept this award, after all it was the most metal thing to do. In a flash, all of her worry and doubt had melted away. It was as if everything she had suffered through that night was worth it. Makina walked on stage with pride in her soul, Nathan smirked and tossed the microphone to her. Makina wore the biggest shit eating grin and began her acceptance speech, “I am Makina Gorgon, former lead singer of Lycan RIOT and now a solo artist. I humbly accept this award on behalf of my stupid bandmates who decided to scurry away like sewer rats. Thank you Dethklok, thank you Doom-opolis, and a big fuck you to everyone who didn’t fear the Medusa!” The crowd roared and rumbled with applause. The other members of Dethklok were not paying attention to her speech, instead they were puzzled by Nathan’s facial expressions and body language. He was smiling and nodding in a fatherly manner, acting as if Makina was his own flesh and blood. Nathan crossed his arms proudly almost as if he wanted to say ‘That’s my little girl.’. The announcer and the award presenter were appalled by the disrespectful display that took place. Murderface snatched the award away and handed it to her, “You are one crazy son of a bitch.” He whispered. The crowd cheered, Makina handed the microphone to a stage hand and was ready to pose for a photo with the band for the press. Makina smiled widely and raised the award in the air in a pair of devil horns, Dethklok and Makina walked off stage together. They could see the angry look of the other bands but they didn’t care.

After the many photos, Nathan realized what he needed to say to them. How to reach out to them. “Medusa, since you’re solo now I think it’s best if you get some help. How about I become your mentor?” Makina’s eyes lit up like a christmas tree, “You mean, I can be your protégé?!”

“Is that a fancies words for pets?” Toki asked naively. “Nah Toki, she will be his apprentice, a student in the ways of metal. ” Pickles corrected. Nathan looked at Makina, he saw it again, that younger version of himself in her. The young man who he once was, when he signed onto Crystal Mountain Records. The same young man who had felt the betrayal of his former bandmate Magnus Hammersmith. A singer that could scream out their tragedies and make it into the most brutal form of art in the world. He didn’t want to fully admit his admiration for the singer. But in that very moment, Nathan wanted nothing more than to see Makina thrive. He could imagine how badass of an artist she could be. And with his guidance, the possibilities seemed endless.

“What do you say?” Makina wanted to scream and jump around like a little kid on a sugar high. All she wanted to do was to hug Nathan and thank him for the opportunity, but she didn’t. She held back her glee with all her might, her hands were still shivering as she went to shake Nathan’s hand to seal the deal in a professional matter. “I- I look forward to working with you!” Makina said nervously. “We start in a week.”

“YES SIR!” Makina said stiffly, the professional dam that held her excitement was slowly crumbling away. “Dude, you can let loose a little.” Pickles said, patting her reassuringly on the back. “Yeah s-sure. Totally totally totally. I’ll just be uh… right back.” Makina backed away slowly to the green room and slammed the door behind her. She smiled widely and began to squee like the fan girl she was. She pumped her fists in the air in a victorious manner and danced around like an idiot. Nathan didn’t realize it, but his world was about to be shaken. This was only the start of Makina’s metal journey.

[dirtandspitoftheworld]

hii!!!!! it was me who sent the ask abt the music videos yesterday!!!! thank u so much for replying, i was this 🤏🏽 close to giving up on using marilyn mansons example in my project 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

HI!!! I had fun doing this, I've actually never sat down and watched every single music video until now, there were a few i'd never watched! :)

this is LONG, there's 42 videos, to my knowledge.

TL;DR: There's actually extremely few satanic or occult symbols in any of Marilyn Manson's music videos. In fact, the only thing I saw was a couple inverted crosses in Tourniquet (which aren't even satanic! That's Saint Peter's cross!). Other than that, it's all Christian symbols and imagery. The only other symbol that appears consistently is Manson's own "Celebritarian" cross, which is a symbol of celebrity worship that he often criticizes. (Worth noting: it's an inverted form of the Patriarchal cross)

Comprehensive notes:

Spooky Kids/Portrait Of An American Family Era:

Get Your Gunn: Nothing, aside from Manson's goat head tattoo (left bicep). Anytime I say "nothing" from now on, i'm excluding his tattoos.

Lunchbox: One of the band's T-shirts at this time was a parody of the Salvation Army logo which said "The Satanic Army, and drummer "Sara Lee Lucas" (Frederick Streithorst Jr.) is wearing it.

Dope Hat: Nothing.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This): at 3:10, Manson is wearing a 3-horned headpiece. May or may not mean anything.

Antichrist Superstar Era:

The Beautiful People: Nothing.

Tourniquet: There are a few inverted crosses on the walls, as well as some symbols that I THOUGHT were alchemical symbols, but I can't find them anywhere.

Cryptorchid: Nothing, though the video is reminiscent of the film "Begotten"

The Man That You Fear: Nothing Occult, but there's a clear parallel to the death of Christ, washing of feet, being walked through the desert and killed. The music video heavily references "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, as well. As a side note, Marilyn Manson is unbearably beautiful in this video.

Antichrist Superstar: I think you asked about this one specifically? Other than snakes and flies, which may possibly be associated with Lucifer and Beelzebub respectively, I don't see anything in the way of satanic or occult symbols.

Apple Of Sodom: Nothing. Medical stuff again.

Long Hard Road Out Of Hell: Christian imagery, both visually and in the lyrics. Manson is shown as both Mary and Jesus. And naked! Again, he's VERY pretty in this video. If this video doesn't trans your gender, nothing will. There's a secret alternate version where he's covered with blood.

Mechanical Animals Era:

The Dope Show: Nothing.

I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me): Manson is crucified on a cross made of CRT TVs, and drags it around on his back.

Coma White: Crosses and Christian idols can be seen throughout. He's crucified on a wooden cross this time.

Holy Wood Era:

Disposable Teens: Manson is dressed as a pope for much of the video. There's other Christian imagery. He's also shown rising out of water, which could POSSIBLY be connected to Revelation 13:1 (And I stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising from the sea...) BUT he doesn't have horns, so it could just be a cool image that means nothing.

Fight Song: Nothing.

The Nobodies: He has horns again.

Tainted Love: Nothing.

Golden Age Of Grotesque Era:

mOBSCENE: Nothing.

This Is The New Shit: Nothing.

(s)AINT: Nothing. But there's so much explicit nudity that i'm surprised this video is on youtube. There's pussy eating in this video!!!!!! i maybe saw a sliver of cock too. can't be sure.

Personal Jesus: Manson has bandaged stigmata on his palms, and there's some sexy nuns. This video has one of my favorite makeup looks of all time.

Eat Me, Drink Me Era:

Heart-Shaped Glasses: Nothing.

Putting Holes In Happiness: Nothing.

High End Of Low Era:

Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon: Nothing.

Born Villain Era:

Overneath The Path Of Misery: Two women have their heads shaved, seemingly in a ritualistic fashion. There's some images of christ on the cross, and a burning cross. Again, a lot of sexual imagery that i'm surprised is allowed on youtube uncensored.

Hey, Cruel World: Nothing.

The Pale Emperor Era:

Deep Six: Nothing.

The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles: Manson is shown preaching and baptizing people.

Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge: Nothing.

Heaven Upside Down Era:

WE KNOW WHERE YOU FUCKING LIVE: Sexy nuns with guns. The image of the "Celebritarian" cross appears.

SAY10: Nothing. But Johnny Depp is in this one!

KILL4ME: Celebritarian cross. Johnny Depp again!

Tattooed In Reverse: Celebritarian cross.

God's Gonna Cut You Down: Some crosses.

We Are Chaos Era:

WE ARE CHAOS: Nothing.

DON'T CHASE THE DEAD: Nothing.

[Title Pending] Era:

As Sick As The Secrets Within: Nothing.

Raise The Red Flag: Nothing.

[sleepystawbie]

Fic idea I’m never actually gonna write No.1

The concept:

Ghost was drummer for a metal band he and his brother set up, Tommy was guitar and vocals and there were a couple other members but it all imploded after Tommy died of an overdose. Ghost never wants to be part of a band again but the only thing he was ever good at was drums and he loves it too much to quit, so his old buddy Price offers him a steady gig as his house drummer at his recording studio. It’s easy, it’s mind numbing, it’s boring but it gets food on the table and keeps Ghost in good drumsticks.

Soap is the former heartthrob frontman of a Disney kid type boyband that broke up after a scandal or a member goes off to make it big doing other shit. He’s taken all the heartbreak and the burnout and turned it into a solo album that just *might* make his career. He gets the attention of producer god Price and is told to get his arse in the studio ASAP so they can make this happen before next summer.

The plot: (under the cut)

Johnny walks in and his eyes are immediately drawn to the absolute MOUNTAIN behind a frankly fucking gorgeous drum kit. This guy looks like Thor got pissed and fucked a bear. Head to toe black, black covid mask (Ghost is asthmatic, this is why he didn’t join the army in this au) black tattoos, black everything except for the blonde hair and dark green eyes.

Fuck. Soap is in LOVE.

Potential for kidfic too. Ghost is left to raise Tommy’s son after his death. Simon comes in the studio with a little boy holding his hand and Soap is heartbroken - of course this guy has a wife and kids, no one in their right mind would pass on this man.

Turns this pain into the breakout single of the album, a song about being in love with someone who’s taken and has a great life ahead of them so the singer respectfully bows out and nurses their heartbreak from the sidelines while wishing them well. It’s “I will always love you” and “Jessie’s girl” but hella gay. Simon hears it and thinks “woah, someone broke this blokes heart, poor guy” no clue it’s HIM.

Then he’s staying back late because the boy is taking piano lessons from the session pianist at the studio and he’s wasting time playing shit from his old band days and Soap is there too and is like “hold on a tick, I know that beat!” because he was a massive fan of Ghosts old metal band and shit, didn’t he hear one of the guys died? Yeah, and his brother is raising the kid. The one who wore the gay pride flag on stage despite the booing… OH SHIT I STILL HAVE A CHANCE!

So Soap walks into the room and starts singing the lyrics to the song Simon is playing but it’s all wrong, he never wanted to hear the words again. Especially not from this cutesie, clean-cut boy next door lookin ass kid and he takes this the wrong way, like he’s being mocked and storms out in a huff and refuses to talk to Soap until he says the heartbreak song is about HIM!

THEN THEY SMOOCH OVER THE DRUMKIT!

[messinwitheddie]

Tallest Magnus:ARUGULA! Come out and face me! I’ve came to collect what’s mine. You have one of my drones in there. Bring her to me at once! You have taken enough females already. What makes you think you can steal mine as well? You refuse to come to the summons as I request of you, and now i can see why. You sneaky old crook. My camera bots spotted one of my birthing drones heading towards your hive. If you were smart, you’d send her back but noooo. I have to come get her myself. So where is she? If you do not bring that wench out here, I WILL drag her out of your chambers by the antenna if I have to.”

(I was thinking about this. Has Arugulanot have one of the other hive leaders confront him about keeping their birthing drones before? 😅)

Tallest Magnus and his high generals watched as the outer seal to the enemy hive opened.

Tallest Arugula emerged with his high generals and a small battalion of foot soldiers in toe.

Arugula "Greetings, tallest Magnus! You have come well prepared for battle, I see, but as YOU can see, I am prepared to retaliate! [Motions to his foot soldiers and the gundrones stationed up in the seal walls with laser canons, pointing downward.]

Have you forgotten the rules of war?? Your birthing drone escaped the protective seal of your hive and survived the treacherous surface lands to reach mine! I am well within my rights to provide her sanctuary. I have stolen nothing from you aside from your pride!

Perhaps if you valued your birthing drones while they still dwelled in your chambers, she would have remained in your chambers and we would not have to face off under such circumstances--- Ah, but here we are!

Think of me as a crook all you like, but I knew you to be a tallest of honor. We are civilized drones, are we not? To spare our soldiers unnecessary bloodshed, let us engage in the *clash of keys!

[Sound an uproar of war drums*]

Should I miss a step and fall dead at your feet, you and your army shall storm my hive and take what you will, including the birthing drone in question with no opposition from my drones...

BUT if I still stand by the end, then you will forfeit your birthing drone to me permanently and you and your army will take leave IMMEDIATELY.

What say you, Magnus...?"

[The drummers of both armies raise their sticks, anticipating Magnus's response.]

*the clash of keys is a traditional war dance/ pre battle ritual performed by two or more opposing tallests.

The "keys" are sword-like weapons that represent the key to a hive. The object of the dance isn't necessarily to slaughter the other tallest, but the risk is high. Should a tallest be fatally wounded during the dance, their army is automatically forced to retreat or pledge allegiance to the still standing tallest. Irken warfare was a lot more theatrical in Arugula's day. The drawings are so underwhelming; wish I had the time/ skill to draw out the armies.

[ What the clash of keys dance is coriographed to... accept there's no horn instruments added at the end, just all metal af percussion.]

[jonnylovers-in-neverland]

Guitarist Jonny Buckland riffs on the meaning of life in Coldplay

Jon's interview for nola.com | The Times-Picayune (June 8th, 2009)

Coldplay headlines the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday, June 9. In the Fountains of Wayne minidrama "Someone to Love," lovelorn corporate attorney Seth Shapiro "puts Coldplay on, pours a glass of wine/curls up with a book about organized crime." The implication is clear: Coldplay is the feel-good band of yuppies the world over. In a decade, singer Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion have evolved from utter unknowns to cultural touchstones. They've sold tens of millions of albums, endorsed various charitable and political causes and, in the case of Martin, married Hollywood royalty without seeming insufferable.One minor bump in the road: In December, guitar wizard Joe Satriani filed a lawsuit alleging that the title track of Coldplay's current "Viva la Vida" album plagiarized his 2004 instrumental "If I Could Fly." Nice chaps even when sued, the band responded, "If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him.... Joe Satriani is a great musician.... We wish him well with all future endeavors." Buckland called from his home in England during a recent break in Coldplay's tour, which stops at the New Orleans Arena on Tuesday, June 9.

TP: Coldplay has not performed in New Orleans since a 2003 show at the Saenger Theater. Should we take that personally?

Buckland: I think we were supposed to come back just after Hurricane Katrina hit, but the gig was cancelled. So I don't think you should take it personally.

You're over the career hump -- you've established who you are and what you do. I don't know if "relax" is the right word, but you've earned both credibility and success and can have some fun with it.

We've never enjoyed touring so much actually. We feel like we're playing better than we ever have and having more fun on stage than we ever have. The more we put into it, the more we get out of it. So it's the opposite of relaxing.

What element of the current show works best for you?

Where we go out and play in the audience. We try to get to the back of the crowd and pop up somewhere. It's kind of ramshackle, and we don't decide what songs we're going to do until we're there.

In arenas, you can feel a long way away and disconnected. We try to make people feel like they've actually been to see a real band rather than watching them on the TV.

Do you use some sort of satellite stage?

"Stage" might be overstating it a bit. More like a satellite shelf.

You never set out to be a guitar hero -- your guitar work is in the service of the song. Is that a fair assessment?

I think so. I've never gone in much for the solos. I was always more interested in atmospherics. Listening to bands like Mercury Rev or My Bloody Valentine or even The Verve, the way those guitarists played.

Do you solo at all during the show?

No, not really. I maybe have one, but it's not really shredding or anything like that. There's no Van Halen in me. (laughs)

Drummer Will Champion was Coldplay's original guitarist. It probably worked out best that you played guitar and not Will.

Yeah, well, he was a better drummer than me. (laughs) He probably is a better guitarist -- he's a very good guitarist. He's pretty much good at everything he does. He can even play the tin whistle. He's sort of a multitalented, Swiss Army drummer.

Don't you just hate that?

It is a bit annoying.

I'm guessing you don't wear the colored bits of tape on your fingers like Chris Martin because that would make it hard to play guitar.

That's Chris' thing. We can't all be doing the same thing.

You'd look like Devo.

Or Kraftwerk. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, actually.

You put out the EP "Prospekt's March" in November with songs left over from the "Viva la Vida" sessions.

There were some songs that didn't really fit on the album. We didn't want to save them for another record. It felt silly to save them; they were already a couple of years old.

So it wasn't a qualitative decision to leave them off "Viva la Vida"?

We started writing a record, then we went to South America and scrapped the initial idea of what the record was about. We changed it to "Viva la Vida." So some of the songs just didn't fit with that at all, but we still really liked those songs. They told a different story.

Do any of those turn up in the set?

We play "Glass of Water" quite a bit and "Life in Technicolor II" as well. We love playing them live. We wanted to get them out there, so that we could be indulged.

Have you started writing for the next album?

We've written tons. We've got so much material, it's almost hard to know in which direction to go. It's quite a nice stage where you're bringing together all your ideas and picking which way to take them.

Any early indication of the mood?

There's a possibility of being a more acoustic record. But that still remains a possibility rather than a certainty.

You're not going to really work on it until after the tour?

We never really stop working on stuff. It's continuous. Touring only really takes up an hour and a half (a night). There's plenty of time to be writing music and playing. We won't finish anything this year, but we'll certainly get started.

Momentum feeds itself.

Being on tour, you're excited about playing live and you want to keep on going. You never want it to end, that adrenaline rush. It does feed into you writing more songs and getting excited about new ideas.

We love playing music. It's the best job in the world. We want to work all the time. It's hard to make us take a holiday.

It's definitely in the Top 5 jobs.

For us, it's No. 1. There's nothing else we'd rather be.

You don't want to trade being a guitarist for being a dentist?

No, thank you.

One last thing: Have you taken down all your Joe Satriani posters?

(laughs) Honestly, I never had a single one. I promise.

[me-myself-and-my-oboe]

Chapter 2: A Breath of Fresh Air

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x original female character

Summary

Chapter 1

Bucky’s heart pounded as he entered the music room, the familiar but almost-forgotten smell of polished brass and well-used sheet music meeting him like a warm embrace. The space was larger than he’d expected, filled with soft echoes of past rehearsals and pieces of music lingering in the walls. It felt alive, like it had seen countless performers pour their hearts into every note. He took a deep breath, hoping it would steady the nerves tugging at him.

“Hey, Buck!” Steve called from across the room with a warm smile. The drummer was setting up, his focus and energy unmistakable. “Didn’t think you’d actually make it.”

Bucky returned the smile, his tension easing just a little. “Yeah, well… you twisted my arm,” he replied, only half-joking.

Steve gave him an encouraging nod from where he was, gesturing for Bucky to find his seat. “Grab a spot next to Sam,” he called, flashing a thumbs-up.

Sam was already there, adjusting his music stand with an easygoing grin on his face. “So you’re the famous trumpet player Steve’s been telling us about, huh?” he teased, nudging Bucky as he sat down. Sam played the bugle, and there was an infectious excitement in his voice. “Can’t wait to see you in action.”

Bucky chuckled nervously, gripping his trumpet case. “Yeah, let’s hope I can still manage a few notes,” he murmured. It had been so long since he last played—almost another lifetime. His mind drifted to memories of the army, where he’d first learned the trumpet, the sound of it giving him a sense of grounding even amid the chaos. But now, with his metal arm and a long stretch of silence between him and the instrument, he didn’t know how he’d fare.

Across the room, Natasha waved at him, her flute resting on her lap as she chatted with Wanda, who was preparing her clarinet. Clint sat nearby, adjusting his bassoon with a focused expression, glancing over to share a friendly nod with Bucky. Peter, sitting with his percussion instruments, gave him a thumbs-up, looking thrilled to see him there. Bucky raised his hand in return, feeling a bit of his apprehension ease with each familiar face he spotted.

As he settled in, a warm laugh rang out from nearby, clear and bright like a melody in itself. Bucky looked up and spotted a young woman with wavy brown hair, her eyes alight as she laughed at something Natasha had said. She had an easygoing warmth to her, gesturing as she spoke, her hands moving as animatedly as her voice.

Sam leaned over, nodding in her direction. “Tara,” he said quietly. “She’s… well, she’s someone you’ll want to meet. Plays the oboe, and she’s one of those people who lights up a room, y’know?”

Bucky nodded, his curiosity piqued. Tara’s energy seemed magnetic, adding a new brightness to the already lively room. For the first time since he’d arrived, he felt a hint of eagerness mixing in with his nerves.

Before he could take in more, Nick Fury’s voice cut through the hum of voices in the room. “All right, people. Let’s get this session started. We’re here to make music, so I hope you’re all ready to work.” His commanding presence was softened by a hint of amusement as he took in the group, his hands clapping for attention.

Bucky adjusted his grip on his trumpet, lifting it to his lips as they started to play. The first note came out a little unsteady, but he adjusted quickly, finding his balance as he played, letting the music carry him. Each note felt like a piece of himself he was rediscovering, something long lost but deeply familiar.

The music filled the room, voices merging as the players found their collective rhythm. For a moment, Bucky closed his eyes, feeling at home again. He’d forgotten how grounding it felt, how playing took him out of his head and into a flow he couldn’t find anywhere else.

He stole one more glance at Tara, who was focused on her sheet music, seemingly unaware of the impression she’d already made. As they moved through the piece, he couldn’t help but feel a spark of something new, an excitement he hadn’t expected to find here.

[cipherexists]

Documenting a few other details that ive found in the way back machine SPG dig

The Spine was originally created with a spinal column made up of smokestacks similar to a locomotive, thus he was appropriately named The Spine. In 1955, the US government invested millions of dollars into upgrading The Spine. Therein he received a brand new titanium alloy spine, and a multitude of highly classified weapons.

yeah, highly classified weapons?? what???

Eventually David entered high school. He was working towards his A+ Certification in computers and looking towards becoming an IT Technician. A sudden (but possibly long overdue) divorce between his parents turned David's life upside down during his Junior year. The divorce didn't go well between parents.

This is not included in Bunny's...despite them being twins... i love the 'sudden (but possibly long overdue) divorce'

David met Jerry Hager for the first time when he took his Beginning Acting class at the college. David knew of Jerry's "miming" down at Seaport Village and even visited his professor a few times while he was performing. It wasn't until his [Sister] [Bunny] took Jerry's mime class, and recommend that he take it with [her] again the following year, that David was introduced to the beauty of the art of mime and movement.

Yes you heard the man, The Jon, The Rabbit, The Spine and Upgrade only went through Three (3) mime classes before their first appearances in balboa park. And none more. (see; Steam Powered Giraffe started at the beginning of the second time David took Jerry's mime class.)

More P.A. Walter VI blog shinanigans

*List of images including but not limited to: Giraffes, toothles (HTTYD), fantasy games and GG <3*

wtf dude, 'Eggs of spider infancy within this meek little blog' ???

Back to the website...2014

Rabbit went on to fight against Becile's copper elephants in 1897, outfitted with a prototype blue matter laser lens array, a Gatling Gun attachment, and a collapsible buzz saw. Rabbit's combat history also spans WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam war.

btw they are still canonically fitted with these weapons, they just wont use them...

Hatchworth time >:)

After getting over that pesky omg-I'm-so-nervous-I'm-going-to-poop-out-all-my-guts feeling, he did ok in theater club. Soon there after, he decided anyone can play guitar, so he did

^^ Sam luke on performing <3

For a while after that, they drifted apart (which tends to happen to friends of Sam).

that is so sad, wth

Approximately junior year a tall, gangly fellow (by the name of David) joined the drama club and introduced himself as such. Sam spent many'a afternoon trying to discern the Bennett twins (one wears black and one wears dragons). The only way Sam chooses to explain the early days of "Hangin' With the Bennetts" is as follows:

"it was like being a supporting character on some weird sitcom within a sitcom."

Sam Luke on meeting the Bennet twins :')

Fast forward a bit and it turns out the Bennetts only got weirder with time. They were robots now and apparently they needed a drummer.

That sounds about right..

Somehow I also became a robot apparently.

Do we know how that happened...yes, will i explain that...not yet

When Peter Walter I began constructing an army of robots, he used whatever source of metal he could find. So it wasn't surprising when his own cast iron stove served as the base for a bronze-laden robot.

...that explains the insanity, i too would keep spaghetti in my pocket if i was made of a stove

upon examination Peter Walter II discovered a hairline fracture had been developing for years in the robot's power core. Hatchworth had been leaking a troublesome amount of concentrated blue matter energy[...]Mustache and all, the Walter boys locked Hatchworth in a lead vault deep within Walter Manor until they could find a solution. But months pouring over his original schematics proved fruitless for the boys and soon months turned into years...and then turned into decades.

Thats how hatchworth came about.... yeah no definitely would be insane at that point.